Bands
by Netsugaki-Sama
Summary: Kikyou challenged InuYasha to form a band for the upcoming 'Battle of the Bands' contest. Everything goes good for him until a strange woman is saved from an ice demon. Who is this woman, and what does she want with InuYasha? FINISHED
1. The Challange

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any characters within it. And to make reading a little easier: Things in ( )'s are what people are thinking and things in [ ]'s are types of authors notes.  
  
They were finally there, at the center of the stage. All of their practice and hard work had gotten them there. There had been weeks of practice and hard times, but that was all behind them now. Now they were finally about to perform one of the greatest concerts ever.  
Kanna sat down at her keyboard. Hakudoushi and Kohaku took their spots as well. Kagura came out from backstage; she was completely ready to sing her heart out. They saw all their friends in the audience, waiting to see this performance. They knew it would not be disappointing.  
The show began without a hitch. (Wake up.) Kanna, Hakudoushi and Kohaku were playing their newest dance mix as Kagura sang with her beautiful voice. (I said wake up.)  
It was a complete success. But then darkness filled the entire area and sound ceased to exist.  
Kanna awoke from her dream to find Kohaku sitting beside her, poking her arm.  
"Ah," he said, "You're awake. C'mon, Kagura and Hakudoushi are ready."  
Kanna followed Kohaku to the practice room and found the three keyboards set up. Kagura and Hakudoushi were setting up the last of the equipment.  
"Oh," Kagura smiled, "Good morning Kanna. Sleep well?"  
Kanna nodded. She walked over to her keyboard and sat down. Hakudoushi and Kohaku sat down at theirs too.  
"I still think we need a name," Hakudoushi whined. "I mean, a better one than 'The Groupage.'"  
"You're right," Kagura said, picking up her microphone from a pile of chords.  
"But what?" Kohaku asked. "What would be a good name for us?"  
Silence was his answer. He knew the four of them weren't very creative when it came to something like naming a musical group.  
(Well, except for that one time when we had to think of a name for our French project last year. What was it again? 'La Maison Derrière?' Now THAT was a great name. Just wish I could remember what it meant.)  
He shook the thought away. "Fine," he said flatly, "We don't need a name yet."  
"Okay!" Hakudoushi shouted. "Let's practice!"  
Kanna, Hakudoushi and Kohaku activated their keyboards. They had been working on a new song entitled 'Rizumu; Doko Demo Aru.' It was an okay sounding song, but they knew they could do better. They began to practice it.  
  
InuYasha grunted to himself as he scribbled notes onto a piece of paper. "We got singers, guitarists. But we need a drummer."  
InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Kouga and Nobunaga had decided to make up their own band as well.  
(We'll show them who the better band is!)  
But it wasn't going so well for them. The problem was they only had the five of them in the band. InuYasha and Kagome could sing. Miroku and Kouga could play the guitar and Nobunaga could play bass. But they didn't know anyone who could play the drums.  
"What are we gonna do?" Miroku whined. "Without a beat section, we're screwed."  
Kagome nodded. "I don't know a single person who can." She trailed off.  
"We'll have to put it on hold then," InuYasha said. "Man, I can't believe this! We told 'em we could have a band by Friday. Here we are, Thursday evening, without a band."  
The previous Monday, InuYasha made a bet with Kikyou, his old girlfriend. The bet was that he and his friends could make up a band by Friday. Kikyou could barely contain her laughter.  
"You?" she smirked, "A performer?" She giggled.  
"We can do it," InuYasha said uncertainly, "Just wait and see."  
Kikyou, still smiling, said, "You get your little band together then." She shoved a piece of paper into his hands. It was a notice explaining that there was to be a 'Battle of the Bands' contest coming up in half a year. InuYasha shook his head.  
"Can't do it huh?" Kikyou smirked. "Didn't think so. Oh well," she sighed, "I was looking forward to upstaging you. But it seems that you don't have the balls after all."  
InuYasha glared at her. "Okay," he said, "I'll get a band together, and we'll be ready for the contest! You'll see!"  
"Better get going then," Kikyou motioned with her hand for him to leave. "Yogore no Yurikago, my band, has practicing to do. Tata."  
InuYasha left without saying goodbye. How dare she say that to him! He could do it and he knew he could. But the band still lacked the drummer and his pride was too great to back out. What to do?  
(Kagura)  
The name came to him in a flash. Of course! Kagura probably knew someone who could play the drums. She had to; she was their last chance. Kikyou could not have the last laugh  
  
Kikyou and Suikotsu returned home from their secret date at around midnight. They were startled to find Bankotsu waiting up for them.  
"Hello there," he said slyly. "And where have you two been?"  
"That's really none of your business," Suikotsu answered, "But whatever. We were on a date."  
"I see," Bankotsu smiled. Kikyou and Suikotsu had been going out in secret for the past few weeks. Bankotsu was the first to find out about it.  
"Why are you still awake anyways?" Kikyou growled. "You should be in bed, getting rest!"  
"Doctor's orders," Suikotsu added.  
"If you let me stay up, I won't tell anyone about you two." Bankotsu said in a sort of singsong voice.  
"Fine," Kikyou said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Suikotsu." She kissed him on the cheek and went to her room.  
"I thought you two were gettin' kinda chummy," Bankotsu teased. Suikotsu blushed. "I can't wait to tell the others- "  
"No!" Suikotsu interrupted. "Kikyou doesn't want anyone else to know. Especially," he lowered his voice, "especially Naraku."  
Bankotsu chuckled, "Ah yes. He's gonna be quite jealous when he hears this."  
"He won't hear it though."  
"Haven't you seen those sitcoms where two people try to keep a secret from their other friends, only to have it eventually blow up in their faces?"  
Suikotsu didn't answer.  
"Well," Bankotsu continued, "All I can say is 'good luck.'" And with that, he went to bed.  
  
"So this is where Kagura lives now?" Kagome asked, mostly to herself, when she and InuYasha arrived at an averaged looking one-story house. It had a nice cozy looking yard and picket fence.  
(Not exactly the type of place you'd expect her to live in. The exact opposite, actually.)  
InuYasha walked up to the door and pushed the doorbell. After what seemed to be a lifetime of waiting, Kagura answered the door.  
"We don't want any cookies, go away."  
And with that, she closed the door on their faces. Kagome rang the bell again and stopped Kagura from closing the door on them a second time. "May we come in?" Kagome asked. "We have something to ask you."  
"I don't see why you have to come in to ask-"  
"Kagura!" Hakudoushi called from inside the house. "Just let them the hell in!"  
Kagura sighed. "Come in then." She led them into the living room where Kohaku and Kanna were having a Mortal Kombat tournament on Kohaku's Play Master 6000. Kanna had never played before in her life, and since Kohaku was such a little gentleman, he let her win.  
(That's my story and I'm sticking with it!)  
"Would you like some tea?" Kagura offered.  
"Please," Kagome said with a smile.  
"Well too bad, we're all out."  
(¬_¬)  
"Now," Kagura continued, "What do you need to ask?"  
"Do you know anyone who can play the drums?" InuYasha asked, trying to sound polite, but the word 'polite' wasn't exactly in his vocabulary. Upon hearing this question, Kanna and Kohaku immediately stopped playing. They both looked at InuYasha as if something totally incomprehensible had just happened.  
(Like the time that pub had been bought out by the rich British snob. There were things there that no one had ever heard of before. But at least they got to learn of a great new game. Cricket, marvelous game really. You see, the bowler hurls the ball towards the batsman, who tries to play away with a fine leg. He endeavors the score by dashing between the creases, providing the wicket keeper hasn't whipped his bells on of course.)  
InuYasha looked around at all the stunned faces. "What? What's wrong?"  
Kagura chuckled. "We do know of such a person." She got up and motioned InuYasha and Kagome to follow her. She led them to the basement, where they could hear a steady drum beat. A door was all that stood in the way of them and their new drummer. Kagura knocked on it. The beat stopped and the door slowly opened. A massive drum set was situated in the center of the room. It belonged to Juuroumaru, who was the one who answered the door.  
"Hey," Kagura smiled. "These two are looking for a person who can play the drums. They need one for their band. Up for it?"  
InuYasha turned to Kagome and said, "I don't now about this, Kagome."  
Kagome raised her hand to silence him. "Let's hear what he can do before we make any conclusions."  
Juuroumaru nodded and sat down at his set. He played for them a drum solo that left them speechless. InuYasha pondered for a few seconds. But Kagome had already asked Juuroumaru to join their band and he accepted.  
"Now I think we're ready," Kagome said. InuYasha smiled. 


	2. InuYasha's Band is Complete

OmegaNihon was the name of InuYasha's band. He and Kagome sang. Kouga and Miroku played electric guitars. Nobunaga played the bass guitar. Kagome also played the violin, as did Sango.  
"This is so exciting," Sango said energetically, "I've always had this dream of performing for people."  
"You have?" Kagome asked. This was the first she had heard of this so-called dream.  
"I have lots of dreams that you don't know about," Sango smiled. "Most of which involve Miroku."  
(One day, in the near future, he will be the one who does the housework.)  
"Okay, I'm ready to go!" Shippou called out from somewhere in the background. He had been invited for a sleep over at Kanna's. She was teaching him how to play the keyboard, and he was getting rather good. Good enough that maybe he could.  
"Say," Kagome stopped him as he dashed for the door with his sleeping gear, "You're getting pretty good with that keyboard."  
Shippou blushed. "Thanks, Kagome."  
"Would you like to be in our band?"  
Shippou's eyes lit up. "Really?" he exclaimed excitedly. Kagome nodded. He ran to her, jumped up in her arms and gave her a big hug. Two vocalists, three guitarists, a drummer and now a keyboardist. Their band was coming along quite nicely, despite what Kikyou thought. She still didn't think it was possible, but they were proving her wrong every minute.  
  
(Now remember, InuYasha, to practice real hard every day so that you may one day be as good as us. But you'd have to practice really, really hard for that to happen.)  
Kikyou had no idea that InuYasha would be able to get a band together. He proved her wrong, which infuriated her. But she would enjoy having the competition.  
"What are you think about?" Suikotsu asked. "You haven't said a word all evening."  
Kikyou and Suikotsu were on one of their secret dates that only they knew about. [Well, technically Bankotsu knew as well. And he wasn't really all that good at keeping secrets. So now Renkotsu, Mukotsu and Jakotsu knew as well. Naraku, on the other hand, was a little slow.]  
"Well?"  
"Oh," Kikyou said apologetically, "I've been thinking about." She couldn't tell him that she was thinking about InuYasha. "I've been thinking about the band. The competition is coming up soon. Do you think we're ready?"  
Suikotsu nodded, reaching out for Kikyou's hand to hold it. "We're fine," he assured. "And I can't see anything happening that will change that." He smiled at her. She reciprocated.  
  
Meanwhile, InuYasha was giving Sesshoumaru the news of the new OmegaNihon. "So," said his older brother with a straight face, "You are forming a band. Isn't that cute."  
"Funny," InuYasha said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you want in."  
"Well." Sesshoumaru thought, InuYasha started to laugh. "And what is so funny?"  
"You can't play anything!" InuYasha chuckled. But, little did he know that Sesshoumaru could play an instrument. He led InuYasha to a darkly lit room. Right there in the middle was the coolest looking piano InuYasha had ever seen. It was a grand piano, blue plating with a transparent lid. The inside cords were a bright white color. Sesshoumaru was a pianist.  
"I had no idea." InuYasha said, not taking his eyes off the piano. Sesshoumaru took his seat and began to play the introduction to X Japan's Kurenai.  
"How could you," Sesshoumaru smiled, still playing. "There is much you do not know about me."  
"Oh really? Like what?"  
"That is for me to know and for you to find out." He switched from Kurenai to the piano solo of Art of Life by the same band. He was pretty good, too.  
"Like X, huh?" InuYasha smiled, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Say. how would like to be part of my band?"  
Sesshoumaru stopped playing. "Me? A part of your band?"  
"Look," InuYasha began, "If you don't want to then-"  
"I accept."  
OmegaNihon was now complete. Now it was time for InuYasha to rub Kikyou's nose in it. He dashed to her place to tell her the good news.  
Her house wasn't as cozy as Kagura's, but it still had that family quality.  
(Yah, if your family is the Addams family.)  
InuYasha knocked on the door and it was answered by Lurch, err, Mukotsu.  
"Oh," he hissed, "A visitor. Come right in, doggy. Would you like a treat?"  
InuYasha glared at him. "Actually I've come to talk to Kikyou."  
Mukotsu smiled. "Hate to break this to ya, but she's out on a date with Suikotsu."  
InuYasha looked directly at Mukotsu's ugly face. This was the first he had heard about Kikyou's love life after him, and with Suikotsu no less. But it was over between him and her. She should be happy. If she wanted to be with. Suikotsu, then-  
"They should be home anytime now," Mukotsu interrupted InuYasha's thoughts. And as if on queue, Kikyou and Suikotsu arrived. Seeing InuYasha startled her, but she regained control in record time.  
"Come to ask if you can have more time?" Kikyou smirked.  
"Actually," InuYasha said with a cheesy grin, "I've come to tell you that my band is complete!"  
Kikyou was shocked. He actually did it. "I'm impressed," she said, her evil grin faded from her face. "What's it called?"  
"OmegaNihon."  
"Catchy," Suikotsu smiled. Kikyou gave him a glare so cold he had to look away. "Umm, Mukotsu. C-could you help me in the kitchen. I've got to get dinner started."  
"Fine." The two of them went in the kitchen to  
(get away from Kikyou and to)  
get dinner started.  
InuYasha was feeling rather proud of himself. He rubbed Kikyou's nose in it, and it felt good. Nothing could ruin this moment.  
"Hiiiiiiii, InuYasha!!"  
(Except that.)  
Jakotsu came running out from the kitchen the moment he heard that InuYasha was over for a visit. He ran to the couch, jumped over it, did a mid-air summersault and landed right at InuYasha's feet.  
"Show off," InuYasha said in disgust. But Jakotsu's wide grin didn't fade.  
"And to what do we owe this honor?" Jakotsu said, still smiling. Kikyou answered with an annoyed grunt. "You finished getting your band together? Oh, that's so cool!"  
"How do you do that?" Kikyou said, surprised. Jakotsu just smiled.  
"Yes," InuYasha said, "I've finished getting it together. And that's all I have to tell you." And with that, he left.  
"How rude," Jakotsu whispered. "But it's good to know that there will be some decent competition at the . competition." He looked over at Kikyou. Her face was as red as a tomato. "Someone's jealous."  
"Someone talks to much," Kikyou snapped. Jakotsu recoiled.  
"Okay, I see where this is going." he said with a hurt expression.  
".Where?"  
Jakotsu smiled again. "I know a way to cheer you up."  
".What?"  
Jakotsu put his hands together and put them up to his face. "The best way to unwind: Girl's Night Out!"  
  
Later that night, while Jakotsu and Kikyou were having their . 'Girl's Night Out'. Shippou and Kohaku were having a Killer Instinct battle on the Play Master 6000. Hakudoushi had made a bet that Shippou, a first time player, would wipe the floor with Kohaku. And guess what? He did. It may have been the humiliation of loosing to Shippou, but Kohaku could have sworn he saw Kanna smile.  
Kagura walked into the room. "Okay kids," she said, "Time for bed."  
"You know," Hakudoushi said, "We're just gonna stay up late and talk anyways, right?"  
Kagura smiled. "Yes, but it's best to get an early start on that, don't you think?"  
Kohaku turned off the game and the four of them snuggled into their sleeping bags. The news was on the TV and Kagura heard something of interest.  
"Queen La Saia has been reported missing," the news anchor said, "for the past several days. If anyone has any information on her whereabouts, please call us-"  
Kohaku turned off the TV and paid no heed to the report. Kagura just brushed it off as well, but it still stuck in the back of her mind the whole night. She could feel some significance in that report, something that might affect her. She went back to her own room and went to sleep.  
  
What a wild night it had been. First Jakotsu and Kikyou went to the male strip club, and then they went to the bar and reached the state of pure inebriation. This was a state that perhaps no one has ever reached before. They were both much too drunk to drive home, so they decided to rent a room at a motel, a decision that would come back to haunt them.  
Jakotsu woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. His mouth had a very horrible taste. He searched around his teeth with his tongue and found a cigarette butt. He spat it out in disgust, which triggered his headache. He clasped his hands to his temples and lay back down.  
"Oh man," he thought in between stabs of pain, "I can't remember a thing!"  
Then he noticed something that he hadn't before. Underneath the sheets he was naked. And to make matters even worse, lying beside him was the also naked Kikyou.  
His mouth dropped open. "No," he thought, "No, we didn't."  
Kikyou stirred, her eyes opened and saw Jakotsu with his mouth hanging open. "Morning," she whispered, and closed her eyes again. Then she bolted up right. Jakotsu and Kikyou stared at each other for what seemed to be hours. 


	3. The Woman

That name stuck in Kagura's head throughout the night. Queen La Saia. She had never heard the name before, but she had a strange feeling about it. It was a cold feeling, as if she was in the coldness of winter. Then she felt a sharp pain across her face, as if she had been hit.  
"Sorry 'bout that!" Kohaku called out. He, Shippou, Kanna and Hakudoushi were having a snowball fight and Kagura got caught in the crossfire. She muttered profanities and went back inside the house where it was warm. She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to the news station. Maybe something more would be on about this queen. But all she could find were shows about Christmas and winter and so forth. It was that time of year, after all.  
She decided to forget about it. It was of no importance to her anyways. It wasn't and it wouldn't be. She would have a nap instead. Yes, a nap. That would calm her down. But she couldn't get to sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, OmegaNihon was having a jam session. Kouga, Miroku or Nobunaga would play solos from different songs and the others would have to guess what they were. Sesshoumaru did the same with his piano solos.  
[Most of which were from X Japan. He was a bit of an X otaku.]  
And Juuroumaru would play drum solos. All this took up about an hour of their day.  
"Okay," InuYasha said at last, "Now that we know what we're capable of, it's time to write our own song."  
The others froze in their place. Write their own song? Ironically they never thought about this. And what about the lyrics? Who could write those? The only one of them even close to being able to do that task was-  
"Shippou," Kouga said, "I forgot, I have to go pick up Shippou from Kagura's."  
Kouga ventured out to pick up Shippou. On the way, it began to snow. Kouga always loved snow, ever since he was a little cub. It was so fluffy and fun to play in, and it was nice and bright, too. It was a good thing to think about; it took Kagura off is mind. Ever since they first met, Kagura and Kouga have hated each other. They would always be putting each other down and making stupid jokes. Sometimes they would even fight physically  
(those were the best fights)  
and almost literally kick the crap out of each other. Kagura usually won. Kouga arrived at Kagura's and rung the doorbell. Kagura answered. She wasn't all that pleased to see him.  
"Sorry," she said, "But I'm happy with my current phone service-"  
Hakudoushi shouted from within the house, "Just let him in, Kagura!"  
Kagura sighed and let Kouga come in.  
  
Jakotsu and Kikyou, still hungover, were walking back home. All the little sounds of the outside world started to really get on their nerves. But that wasn't the only thing that was worrying them. What were they going to tell the others?  
"We don't have to tell them anything," Kikyou whispered. Jakotsu didn't answer. Kikyou looked over at him just in time to see his eye start to twitch. "This is just as bad for me as it is for you," Kikyou continued. "It'll crush Suikotsu if he found out that we. you know."  
Jakotsu looked over at her, eye still twitching. He started to say something, but then stopped.  
"Anyway," Kikyou began again, "We'll just have to make something up. You'll be able to do that, won't you?"  
Again, Jakotsu was silent. He could barley make sense of what was going on at the present, never mind the future.  
"C'mon, Jakotsu," Kikyou was getting even more frustrated, "I need your help with this! What should we tell them?"  
"Piss off!" The words were said so coldly that Kikyou felt chills run up her back.  
"What's the matter with you, anyway!?" Kikyou screamed, which triggered her headache. She had to stop walking; it was so bad.  
"You just don't get it, do you?" Jakotsu whispered, trying not to set off his headache. Kikyou looked up at him. "You're acting as if this isn't a big deal."  
"Well, it isn't really-"  
"Yes it is!" The shout triggered his headache yet again. They both sat down on the grass to try to wait out the pain. But the pain wouldn't go away so fast, and the ground was cold from the winter frost. "Look," he continued, "I don't want to hurt Suikotsu either. But he'll find out sooner or later anyway."  
"So you're suggesting that we tell him?" Kikyou growled. "It's not like they'd believe us. It's pointless really. I don't think-"  
"Got that right."  
"Fine then," Kikyou whispered, "We'll tell them." Then she began to cry, which of course made her headache worsen. Jakotsu looked over at her. It was a pitiful sight for him to see.  
"I'm sorry, Kikyou," he said, putting his arm around her. "Don't tell if you don't want to." They sat like that for several minutes before they started to walk back home again.  
  
The snow had begun to fall hard. The makings of a storm had started to take place. So, to pass the time, Kohaku challenged Kouga to a round of Tony Hawk's Proskater on the Play Master 6000. Kouga didn't even know what a skateboard was, but he accepted the challenge anyway.  
"Kouga'll win," Hakudoushi whispered to Kanna.  
"How can you be sure of that?" she whispered back.  
"Think about it," Hakudoushi answered, "He lost to you. He lost to Shippou. And he lost to Dad as well. And you know how bad adults are at playing video games."  
Kanna nodded. She remembered that night well. Kohaku had challenged Naraku to a duel on his Yu-Gi-Oh game. Naraku didn't know the first thing about videogames or even card games. But somehow, Naraku ended up beating Kohaku anyways.  
"Poor Kohaku," Kanna whispered, "He never seems to be able to win. But at least he is a good looser."  
"That's bull-crap!" Kohaku yelled, jumping up off the couch and throwing his controller down the floor. Kouga just sat there, confused. "Told ya," Hakudoushi laughed. "And yes, he is a good looser."  
"Maybe we should teach Kohaku how to play," Shippou said. Kohaku glared at him as he said that. "What?" Shippou said, hurt. "You could learn things from us. We'll teach you."  
Hakudoushi rolled his eyes. "Lemme play," he said, taking the controller from Kouga. "One mini-game from Banjo- Tooie. That's all I ask."  
"No," Kohaku said, "I don't want to play anymore." He watched as Kanna took his controller and started the game. She chose a shoot-out mini-game and beat the crap out of Hakudoushi. This intrigued Kohaku. If Kanna could beat Hakudoushi, then, maybe.  
"Okay," he said, "I'll play." Kanna handed him his controller and they picked the same shoot-out game. Kohaku was actually winning! Only a few more hits to Hakudoushi's character and the game would be over and Kohaku would be the glorious victor.  
"Almost," Kohaku whispered, "Almost there."  
But just then, the great winds of the storm knocked out the power lines. The house went dead. The lights went out, and the game shut off.  
"NOOO!" Kohaku shouted, just seconds before Hakudoushi's character would have died. "That's not fair," he muttered.  
"I honestly didn't see that coming," Hakudoushi smiled. "You almost won, too."  
  
Night had fallen. The snow had stopped, and the power had restored itself. Kouga was having too much fun to come home, so he decided to spend the night instead. Sesshoumaru had gone home, and so had Nobunaga. Sango and Miroku had also left. So InuYasha, Kagome and Juuroumaru had the house to themselves.  
Kagome had lit a fire to warm up the house during the power-out. The heat was back on, but the fire was too cozy to put out. InuYasha sat on the couch with Kagome snuggling up next to him, and Juuroumaru sat on the floor. His gaze was fixed on the fire. It reminded him of his past life, the troubles he had had with Naraku.  
Juuroumaru narrowed his eyes, still looking at the fire. He didn't pay attention to the couple sleeping on the couch. As its final flame went out, he decided he should be heading home. He got up, and headed for the door. He opened it slowly, so it wouldn't wake up InuYasha or Kagome.  
The night had begun to warm up. The storm clouds had all vanished, leaving behind the beautiful stars, which lit up the area. It was a breath-taking view. He decided to walk home slowly, so he could enjoy it longer.  
Kagura's was about a forty-five minute walk from InuYasha's, so Juuroumaru had to take a shortcut through the forest to get there faster. As he was deep in the forest, of which he had gone into several times before, so it was hard to get lost, even during the night, he sensed that something was wrong.  
He looked around, seeing only blackness in between the trees. Then he heard the scream that cut through the dark like a warm knife through butter. It came from his left, so he dashed that way to see what was wrong.  
In the meadow, he saw a woman being attacked by a strange bat incased in a blue flame. A Hyoukoumori. Juuroumaru had heard about these bats before, and he knew they were deadly. He leapt at it, slashed it, and killed it all in about two seconds.  
The woman was alive, but unconscious. Kagura's was too far away, so he picked her up and carried her back to InuYasha's. 


	4. Explanations and Invitations

Yogore no Yurikago was the name of Kikyou's band. Jakotsu and Kikyou were on vocals. Bankotsu and Renkotsu played electric guitars. Naraku played the bass guitar. Mukotsu played the keyboard, and Suikotsu played the drums.  
They had been a group for a few months now, and they had even been given a deal to put out a pilot c.d. Kikyou accepted the deal and it reached the shelves and people's homes in record time. They had become famous. Not as famous as other bands, mind you. They only had the one c.d., but they were working on another.  
However, their hearts weren't into the band much, which was probably why they didn't last as long as they could have. That afternoon, when Jakotsu and Kikyou arrived home, was the last time the band would be together.  
"Okay," Kikyou whispered, "We have to be cool about this."  
Jakotsu nodded as he opened the door. They looked inside, expecting to see someone, but nobody was there. "Maybe they're in the kitchen," he suggested, and sure enough, Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Mukotsu were eating lunch.  
"Oh," Bankotsu said, "You're back. You guys must've had a great night, seeing as you're home so late. Suikotsu's kinda jealous, ya know."  
"He has no reason to be!" Kikyou blurted out.  
"We didn't do anything," Jakotsu added. They looked at each other, and the color drained from their faces.  
"Oh, really?" Renkotsu smirked. "I think something did happen."  
"Real cool," Kikyou whispered to Jakotsu, elbowing him.  
"So what did you guys get up to anyway?" Renkotsu asked. "You look pretty hung over. Am I right?"  
They nodded, but said nothing else.  
"So what happened?" Mukotsu asked, "Give us all the detail- . Give us most of the detail- . actually, try to omit as much as possible."  
"Can we speak to Bankotsu in private?" Kikyou asked. Renkotsu and Mokotsu glanced over at each other, and nodded. They left, but not before Renkotsu said, "Remember, we want details."  
When they were gone, Kikyou and Jakotsu sat at the table. They looked like they had something huge to say, some big secret to share.  
"Well," Bankotsu asked, "What is it? What happened?"  
  
Kikyou sat silent for the longest time. She couldn't think of a lie to tell, so she decided that maybe it would be better to tell the truth. But she couldn't think of a way to phrase it. Maybe just coming out and saying it would be best.  
"As you know," she began in a low whisper, "Jakotsu and I went out last night. And," she stopped. She didn't know how to finish, so she motioned for Jakotsu to continue.  
"Umm," he said in the same low tone as Kikyou, "We had a lot to drink and, um." He trailed off.  
"What are you trying to tell me?" Bankotsu asked. "What happened?"  
Kikyou took in a deep breath and began to tell Bankotsu the events of the night. She was so focused on telling him, she didn't hear the door behind her open. She finished her story, finding out too late who it was in the doorway.  
Suikotsu had heard every word of what she said. She turned around, stunned at realizing she had unwillingly told him everything she didn't want him to hear. She started to speak, but Suikotsu silenced her by raising his hand and turned back to the door. Kikyou tried to stop him from leaving, but it was already too late. Suikotsu was gone, and he had the intention of never returning again.  
Kikyou sat down again and burst into tears. Jakotsu tried to comfort her but she pushed him away. The only sound in the entire room was Kikyou's muffled sobs.  
  
The following morning, the woman that Juuroumaru had saved regained consciousness. She was beautiful. Her skin was pale, probably from being out in the cold for so long. Her hair was long and purple, held in a ponytail by a blue scrunchy. She wore an expensive looking blue dress with aqua colored sleeves.  
She looked around the simple looking room of InuYasha's modest little house. It was much more simple than what she was used to, but she was thankful for the hospitality. And it wouldn't be so hard to spruce up the place a little. Maybe some nice satin curtains, or an expensive rug, or perhaps a-  
"Oh," Kagome said, as she walked into the room, "You're awake. I brought you some breakfast." She was carrying a tray with eggs and bacon on it.  
(So simple.)  
"My name's Kagome. What's yours?"  
"I am La Saia," the woman said as she took the tray.  
La Saia. Kagome had heard that name before, but she couldn't remember where. Perhaps it was just a name she heard a while ago; some farmer's name or something like that.  
"Thank you for saving me," La Saia said, chowing down on her eggs. "These are rather good," she smiled.  
"Thanks," Kagome smiled back. "And actually it was Juuroumaru who saved you."  
"I would like to meet this Juuroumaru," La Saia said, finishing her breakfast. Kagome took note of how properly this woman was speaking to her. Perhaps she had just been spending too much time listening to those foul-mouthed boys and forgot how one should speak correctly.  
(Indeed.)  
(Quite so.)  
(Hazzah.)  
"I'll go get him then," Kagome said, taking the tray and heading out the door. She went to the kitchen and put the tray in the sink. Then she went into the living room where Juuroumaru lay sleeping on the couch. She poked his arm, whispering for him to wake up. But he just rolled over. So, instead, she thought of a different method to wake him up. She grabbed his arm and pulled him off the couch. He woke up with a growl.  
"So simple," Kagome whispered to herself. "That woman, La Saia, wants to talk to you."  
Juuroumaru glared at her. She woke him up for that!? Juuroumaru rubbed his eyes and yawned. He and Kagome walked into the guess room and found Miroku, Sango, Nobunaga and InuYasha already there.  
"Ah," La Saia said, still lying in her bed, "Good, you're here." She sat up and motioned for Juuroumaru to come closer to her. When he was at the side of her bed, she motioned for him to kneel. He did.  
(All the meanwhile, Miroku was thinking to himself, "Man, what a woman! If she can get Juuroumaru to do what she wants, then she probably is a-")  
"Snap out of it, Miroku," Sango whispered in his ear, "You're starting to drool!"  
"I wish to thank you for your bravery," La Saia continued, "And I also wish to knight you."  
Knight? Kagome was puzzled. Only kings and queens could do that. Then she remembered. La Saia was the name of a queen who had vanished a while ago. Could this be her? She did match the description of the missing queen quite well.  
"Arise, Sir Juuroumaru."  
Juuroumaru rose and looked around the room at all the stunned faces. He was a little dumbfounded himself.  
"And," La Saia said, "Don't think I've forgotten about you all. I would like to invite you all to a banquet at my castle."  
The room was quiet. She had a castle? Then she really was a queen! And, of course, it would be rather rude to not accept an invitation from a queen, so everyone agreed. Only one thought crossed InuYasha's mind at the time:  
(Kikyou's gonna be so jealous.)  
  
Naraku arrived at Kagura's at around noon. He looked like he had just received the best news in the world. Kagura took note of his cheesy grin.  
"And what are you so happy about?" she asked.  
"Kikyou and Suikotsu broke up," Naraku explained. "That means I can finally move in!"  
"Kikyou and Suikotsu broke up?" Kagura asked, puzzled. How could that be? Kikyou and Suikotsu looked so cute together. And Kagura was sure that they loved each other a lot.  
[By the way, if you are wondering how Kagura knew about Kikyou and Suikotsu. Let's just say Bankotsu has a bigger mouth than you think.]  
"Wait 'til you hear why they broke up," Naraku continued, his cheesy grin grew wider. "When Kikyou heard about InuYasha getting his band together, she got insanely jealous-"  
"Like you?" Kagura interrupted. Naraku's eyes narrowed, the grin disappeared from his face.  
"Ya, sure," He whispered. The grin returned. "Anyways, Jakotsu wanted to make her feel better, so they went out for a good time. And, let's just say, they had it."  
Naraku continued explaining to Kagura what he had heard from Bankotsu. And now with Suikotsu out of the way, Naraku was finally free to have Kikyou all to himself. And he would stop at nothing to get her.  
"Wait," Kagura said, "If Suikotsu left, then that means you don't have a band anymore."  
Naraku's cheesy grin faded again. She was right. Without Suikotsu, their band was incomplete. "Kikyou's not gonna be happy about this," he whispered.  
Kagura rolled her eyes. "Took you that long to realize it, huh?" Then Kagura had a thought. Yogore no Yurikago no longer existed, which meant that InuYasha's band would have no decent competition at the Battle of the Bands. That was, of course, if Kagura didn't enter her band into it. She also thought of a good name for them: ChikaraEki, the power station. Now it was time for her to rub Naraku's nose in it. Life was sweet. 


	5. The Banquet

InuYasha and Kagome were heading over to Kagura's place to pick up Kouga and Shippou, but they stopped at Sesshoumaru's on the way. His house was like one of those old fashioned mansions that can be seen on old horror movies. Its front gates were tall, and they creaked when InuYasha opened them. The path leading up to the house was cracked and had grass and weeds growing up from under it. The front yard had trees that seemed to moan when the wind whistled through them.  
  
"Cozy," InuYasha whispered to himself.  
Kagome smiled. "Come on," she said in her cheerful voice, "It's not that bad."  
InuYasha rolled his eyes. "You see good in everything, don't you."  
Kagome nodded, still smiling. This place was a real fixer-upper, and she would have fun telling Sesshoumaru what to do to make it look friendlier. Maybe trim those trees down a bit, put in a new path, squirt some oil on those gates. It could be like a project-  
"I think you're getting a little carried away," InuYasha said. Kagome started to whistle.  
They arrived at the front porch. The front doors had huge gargoyle knockers on them.  
(Too bad Miroku wasn't here; he would so make a joke about that.)  
InuYasha knocked on the door, and they slowly swung open, creaking loudly. Standing at the front door was Jaken, Sesshoumaru's servant.  
"Oh," he hissed, "Hello, InuYasha and girl-"  
"Kagome," she muttered. Jaken was one of the only people who could make her change moods so quickly.  
"Right," Jaken continued, "And to what do we owe this visit?"  
InuYasha smiled. "OmegaNihon has been invited to a dinner at a real castle owned by a real queen. We were wondering if Sesshoumaru would like to come."  
"Really," Jaken grunted, "Well, come in then, and I'll go get him."  
InuYasha and Kagome entered into the huge front room. Old pictures of people nobody knew anymore hung on the walls; they were beginning to fade. Right in front of them was a long winding staircase that went up to the second floor. To their left was what appeared to be a dining room. The white tablecloth was old and dirty. To their right was the sitting room. In the middle of the room was a coffee table with another dirty cloth, and surrounding it were old-fashioned chairs and a couch.  
InuYasha and Kagome took their seats and waited for Jaken to return with Sesshoumaru. That didn't take very long.  
"Jaken tells me you have been invited to a dinner," Sesshoumaru said as he entered the room. "Tell me, why would you be invited?"  
"Because," InuYasha growled, "We saved the life of the one who invited us: Queen La Saia."  
Sesshoumaru was shocked. "La Saia," he muttered to himself.  
"Ya," Kagome said, her cheerful smile returned, "She invited all of OmegaNihon, actually. And that does include you, you know."  
Sesshoumaru smiled. "Indeed," he said, "I would be happy to come. When is it to be held?"  
"Tonight," Kagome answered.  
  
InuYasha, Kagome and Sesshoumaru arrived at Kagura's about fifteen minutes later. InuYasha knocked on the door and Kagura answered it.  
"Sorry," she said, "I already gave at the office."  
"Funny," InuYasha smirked, "You should be in show-biz."  
Kagura smiled. "I'm thinking about it." She went back into the house for a few seconds, and then returned to the door. "Here," she said, "I believe these belong to you." She flung Kouga and Shippou out the door, and closed it.  
"What a bitch," Kagome whispered under her breath. "Are you two okay?" She helped Kouga to his feet.  
"Ya," he muttered, "We're okay." He looked down at Shippou who was stuck, head first, in the snow. Shippou pulled himself out, shook all the snow from out of his hair and gave everyone a cute 'I'm okay' smile. "What are you doing here, anyways?" Kouga asked.  
"We came to pick you guys up," Kagome explained. "OmegaNihon has been invited to dine with royalty!"  
"Really!?" Shippou exclaimed, "Are you serious? Oh that's so cool!"  
"Who invited us?" Kouga asked.  
"Well," Kagome started, " Last night, Juuroumaru saved this woman from this ice bat demon thing, then he brought her back to our place and we took care of her-"  
"Can we wrap this up, Kagome?" InuYasha muttered. "Queen La Saia was the one who invited us. We're going to take her back to her castle and as thanks, she's going to give us a big dinner." He licked his lips and added, "Can't wait."  
"Then what are we still doing here?" Shippou asked. "We should get ready to go!"  
  
OmegaNihon plus Queen La Saia started their journey to the castle. They met little hardships and arrived with ease. The villagers of La Saia's castle town were busy folks, running shops and inns and so forth. Children ran in the streets without a care in the world. It was a very peaceful looking place from the outside.  
(Never judge a book by its cover.)  
Sesshoumaru looked around cautiously. Sure, this was a nice village with friendly people, but something just didn't seem right. He felt as if some unknown presence was watching them, waiting to make themselves known. He brushed the thought out of his mind, but decided that it would be better to hold onto it for a little while longer, just in case.  
"Lady La Saia has returned!" a villager called upon seeing the travelers. He and a group of other villagers ran up to them. "Lady La Saia, is it really you?"  
La Saia smiled. "Yes it is. These people that I am with saved me from a Hyoukoumori."  
The villager stepped back. "A Hyoukoumori? They have returned?"  
La Saia lowered her gaze and her voice. "I am afraid so."  
"What are you guys talking about?" InuYasha asked. "What's a Hyoukoumori?"  
"An ice bat," La Saia explained. "But you do not need to worry about that. We are here to celebrate!"  
She led them to her castle. It was an average looking castle: drawbridge, moat, towers and the works. The castle guardsman stopped them from entering the castle, but when he saw La Saia, his eyes lit up and allowed them to pass. Inside the castle, maids and attendants rushed to greet the guests and the returning queen. La Saia asked her attendants to fix up their guests for the banquet, then realized that the cooks had no idea about it. So she herself went down to the kitchen and ordered a special dinner. All the people in the castle were overjoyed to have their queen back. Now peace could return to their village.  
Everyone was fixed up, and the food was cooked, so now the feast could begin. The mess hall was exactly as one could expect: grand in size and in number of people present. La Saia took her spot at her special chair and had her guests sit next to her. La Saia raised a glass and toasted OmegaNihon for saving her and helping her return home.  
  
As all the castle folk were eating, no one noticed the presence outside the walls. Watching from a distance was a small group of ice demons: a flock of Hyoukoumori, a purple snake demon and an old man with pale skin.  
"Isss it time, massster?" the snake demon asked. His upper body was humanoid, but his lower body and head where that of a serpent. He slithered forward a bit as he asked his question.  
"Hold on, Friezer," the old man said. He had long, receding white hair. He was wearing a purple shirt under a green vest, and baggy blue pants. "Let's wait a little while longer."  
"Of courssse, Lord Gyouka." Friezer answered. The two of them and the flock of Hyoukoumori waited a few more minutes before their assault on the castle. 


	6. Friezer

An odd thought Renkotsu's mind. It struck him as he was watching a talk show that morning. He decided, as a really sick joke, to call the Jerry Springer hotline and tell the story of Kikyou and Jakotsu. He dashed to the phone and punched in the number for the hotline. If it had not been for Bankotsu, who just so happened to walk in at that moment, some serious bloodshed could have occurred.  
"What are you doing?" Bankotsu demanded.  
"I'm calling," Renkotsu looked down to the floor and tried to think of a good excuse. "Minami Takayama."  
Bankotsu rolled his eyes. "Like you have her number. Hang up the phone. I'm expecting a call."  
Renkotsu slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "You never let me have any fun around here," he muttered as he walked away.  
As Renkotsu left, Naraku entered. "Ah," he said as he walked in, "Bankotsu, do you know where Kikyou is? I need to speak with her."  
Bankotsu shook his head. "Sorry, Naraku, but Kikyou has specifically told me not to let anyone disturb her. Well, unless it's Suikotsu."  
Naraku's eyes lit up. "I understand," he said as he walked away. "She would only want to speak to Suikotsu."  
(And that's exactly who she is going to speak with.)  
"Umm, Naraku," Bankotsu said, "The door's that way." He pointed in the opposite direction from where Naraku was heading, which was to Kikyou's room. Naraku grunted and left the house.  
"I will have her," he muttered to himself. "One way or another."  
  
The feast was exquisite. The food had been the best that any of them had tasted the longest time. This was definitely the meal of a queen. Too bad they didn't have time to enjoy it longer. Without warning, Friezer and Gyouka started their attack.  
"Warning," Gyouka shouted as he and his troops stormed the castle, "You are being attacked!"  
The castle folk fled for their lives, but many were cut short due to the Hyoukoumori's ice attacks. The room filled with a cold wind as Gyouka approached OmegaNihon and Queen La Saia. InuYasha, Nobunaga, Sesshoumaru and Kouga drew their swords, Kagome pulled out her bow, Miroku grabbed his staff and Sango grabbed her boomerang.  
"This is what you have for defense now, huh?" Gyouka muttered as he stepped towards the queen and her guests. "Well, it sure beats those annoying human guards." He smiled, baring his rotten teeth.  
"Who is this guy?" InuYasha asked.  
"He is an ice demon," La Saia answered. "He and his army have been after me ever since they found out that I had a shard of the famous Shikon Jewel."  
Her guests stared at her in disbelief. She had a shard of the sacred jewel!? They hadn't quite found all the pieces yet, so it was possible.  
"Don't worry," Kagome reassured, "We won't let him take it."  
"And who are 'we' exactly?" Gyoua asked. He was intrigued by their bravery. But, usually where there is bravery, intelligence is often rare. He scanned over his enemies. Some of them he recognized. InuYasha, a half demon. Sesshoumaru, Inu's older brother. Kouga, the leader of a wolf tribe.  
(Fuyuka.)  
"Of course," Gyouka muttered, "The famous InuYasha and party. I've heard all about you, and from what I've heard, you are quite the little army."  
"And you're about to see us in action," InuYasha smirked. He lunged towards Gyouka, but was stopped by Friezer.  
"That'sss very rude of you," he hissed. "Attacking Lord Gyouka without hisss permission. We can't have that. May I dissspatch of thessse worthless creaturesss?"  
Gyouka nodded, and in an instant, Friezer unleashed a wave of ice, aimed at InuYasha's friends. The Hyoukoumori dived towards the ice to get fuelled up, just in case someone tried for last minute heroics. Now with InuYasha's friends temporarily dispatched, Friezer was free to kill InuYasha at his leisure. He jumped into the air and aimed a punch at the dog demon, who was too fast for him to hit. InuYasha, wielding Tetsusaiga, tried to return the attack, but Friezer cancelled it out with a blast of freezing wind.  
"You're good at this," InuYasha sneered. "But not good enough!" He made a lunge at Friezer and slashed at him with Tetsusaiga. The sword clashed against the ground as Friezer dashed out of the way.  
(He's too fast. I have to find a way to slow him down.)  
"What'sss sssay we continue thisss battle outssside the cassstle?" Friezer suggested. InuYasha nodded. There would be fewer civilians outside the castle.  
The two combatants jumped out a window and up to the roof of the castle. It was a good battlefield: large, flat and few places to hide. Each stood at opposite ends of the roof, looking directly into the other's eyes. Neither blinked for about five minutes. Then, when InuYasha made the slight mistake of letting his guard down by blinking, Friezer dashed toward him. He was caught off guard, and was almost sent into the moat, had he not rolled under Friezer's slash first.  
Friezer's hit dashed some of the roof to pieces. Rubble fell into the moat and inside the main chamber as well, crushing a few bodies. Shippou had managed to turn himself into a flame demon, and began to thaw everyone out. Another crash from the roof sent more rubble falling to the floor.  
"Get everyone who is still alive out of here," Kagome ordered to the rest of the band. "C'mon! We don't have much time!"  
As Kagome and the others tried to help the fallen castle folk to safety, InuYasha and Friezer's battle had only just begun to warm up. Friezer opened his mouth and spat a stream of freezing gas at InuYasha. When the blast hit, a great wall of mist rose from the ground. Friezer thought he hit InuYasha, but was proved wrong by a slash from behind.  
InuYasha's slash didn't affect Friezer all that much, but it did seem to help. Friezer's attacks started to become less frequent or intense. But they were still a pain. If InuYasha got hit by a blast, he would become frozen, and completely at Friezer's mercy. And InuYasha knew from past experiences that snakes didn't have much mercy.  
"You're not ssso bad at thisss yourssself," Friezer smirked. "I will much enjoy chewing on your bonesss."  
"You'll have to kill me first," InuYasha taunted. They continued to fight for quite some time, which gave the others the opportunity to help the injured get out of the castle. They got out in the nick of time, too. One of Friezer's blasts hit the side of the castle and blew a huge hole in it. The castle begun to shake, and eventually, it crumbled to the ground.  
(How am I going to be able to beat this guy? Every time I hit him he just bounces right back.)  
InuYasha thought long and hard about a way to beat this ice snake demon. He looked down and saw Shippou as a fire demon, lighting a fire to warm people up.  
(Yes, that'll work nicely.)  
"Shippou," InuYasha called, "Blast some fire at Friezer!"  
Shippou nodded and sent a huge wave of fire at Friezer, hitting him dead on. Friezer fell to the ground, badly burnt. InuYasha walked over to him, and lifted the snake's head with his sword.  
"Had enough?" InuYasha said. Friezer's tongue slid out of his mouth and with one last attempt at beating the dog demon secreted a liquid that was so cold steam rose from it. The liquid spread quickly around InuYasha's feet, and solidified, freezing him to the ground.  
"No, doggy," Friezer hissed as he got up, "I ssstill want more."  
Friezer powered up his death delivering final blast and aimed it at InuYasha's head. It looked pretty bad for him, but he was very fortunate to have friends.  
Sesshoumaru leapt up and slashed Friezer right in half with his sword. "Why do I always have to get you out of your own messes little brother?" he smiled.  
InuYasha grunted. "Gee, I've been saved by Fluffy. How swell."  
"I could just leave you here," Sesshoumaru said, still smiling. InuYasha let out a frustrated growl, and muttered something in Sesshoumaru's ears. "What was that," he said, "I could't quite hear you."  
"I said 'Get me the hell outta here!'"  
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru pointed at Shippou, and motioned him to come. He did, and without even having to be told, turned into the fire demon once again and melted the ice around InuYasha's feet.  
They were interrupted by the sound of slow clapping. They turned their gaze to Gyouka and the flock of Hyoukoumori.  
"Well done," Gyouka said. "But you have defeated only my henchman. When you fight me or my other friends, it will not be so easy." And with that, Gyouka and the Hyoukoumori vanished.  
InuYasha, Sesshoumaru and Shippou jumped down to their friends and the other castle folk. "Is everyone okay?" InuYasha asked.  
"Most of the people were killed," Kagome said, "We tried to save them, but." she trailed off.  
"You tried your best," La Saia said, putting her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "And you defeated Friezer. He has been a menace for the longest time. I must thank you again."  
"I think we can say it won't be another banquet," InuYasha said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"  
"It's okay," La Saia smiled, trying to hide her fear and sorrow. "We are starting to get used to attacks like these. I think it's time I filled you all in on what's been going on here." 


	7. The Ice Army

The people of the village offered to take care of the injured castle folk. So, after they were put into care, InuYasha and his band had a long talk with Queen La Saia. In the sanctity of a kind old woman's house, La Saia told her history with the ice demons.  
"Ever since they heard about my shard," she said, "they have been after me. They caused pain and suffering to my subjects and my family. No one in this village deserves to be treated so cruelly. The ice demons destroyed homes, robbed and even killed innocent people. This cannot go on for much longer. Will you help us defeat them?"  
InuYasha crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "What's in it for us?"  
Kagome gasped. She walked up and grabbed InuYasha's arm. "What do you mean, 'what's in it for us'!?" she yelled. "It doesn't matter what's in it for us! All that matter's is the safety of these people!"  
"If you help us defeat them," said La Saia, "I will give you this." She took out her shard of the Shikon jewel.  
InuYasha smiled. "Fighting demons AND a shard of the jewel? Seems almost too good to be true. We'll do it."  
La Saia smiled. "I knew you would help us."  
OmegaNihon had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. The ice demons' lair was a freezing stronghold. Fierce creatures that controlled ice guarded it. La Saia explained this to InuYasha and his band. "Deep within its cold walls," she said, "is a very powerful demon that goes by the name of KooriKisaki, the ice queen. She is the evil creature that wants the Shikon jewel to become even more powerful. If she gets her icy hands on it, the whole world will be covered in a blanket of snow forever."  
"We won't let that happen," Kagome reassured. "We beat demons on a daily basis, so it's nothing out of the ordinary for us. Right, guys?"  
The others nodded, and La Saia smiled again. "Thank you all," she said.  
Just then, the old woman who owned the house came in with a tray of warm drinks for her guests. She handed one out to everyone, but when she came to La Saia, it was refused.  
"No thank you," La Saia said politely. "I am not thirsty."  
"But, your highness," the woman said, "It is winter, and very cold. You should drink it to keep warm."  
But still La Saia refused the drink. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I do not need it. I am fine."  
The woman shrugged and went back to the kitchen to prepare a dinner for them.  
  
Meanwhile, deep within the icy walls of the ice demons' lair, Gyouka was contemplating a plan of revenge on the enemy's new allies. He was joined by a group of Hyoukoumori.  
"Ah," he said, "You've arrived. I want you to get all the information about InuYasha and his friends that you can. Most importantly, I want where they live."  
The head Hyoukoumori nodded, and the group flew out to begin their search.  
(Good. When I find out where they live, I will be able to send out troops to obliterate their homes.)  
Gyouka laughed a classic evil laugh. He walked out to the balcony that overlooked the entire stronghold. It was a massive fortress made completely out of ice and snow. There was no plant life, and the only trees that were around died a long time ago. They were now only good for perches for the Hyoukoumori.  
Down in the icy courtyard were the Toukaibutsu larvae. The Toukaibutsu were demons made entirely out of ice. Their bodies where nothing more than a shapeless hunk of frozen water, but they were strong. From what looked like their heads, they could spray a stream of freezing gas that would encase any enemy in an ice tomb. The only problem was they could only move on ice.  
Their "mother," on the other hand, was a different story. Icykal was a massive ice demon that somewhat resembled a crab. At the end of its arms were great pinchers that could rip almost anything in half. Its body was covered in humps of ice that would eventually fall off to become Toukaibutsu.  
Icykal was tending to its children as Gyouka watched over his empire.  
(Well, it's not mine yet. but some day.)  
"Yes," he muttered out loud, "Some day."  
Gyouka sighed and walked back inside the overlooking tower.  
  
As InuYasha and his friends were talking to La Saia, and as Gyouka was looking over what he hoped would be his empire one day, Kagura was explaining her plan of performing in the Battle of the Bands contest with Kanna.  
"So," Kagura said, "What do you think?"  
Kanna breathed in heavily. She didn't know if she or the rest of the band was ready for this. They hadn't been practicing much lately, so she was worried that they might be a little rusty. But maybe it would be a good experience anyways. She nodded.  
"Excellent," Kagura exclaimed. "I'll go tell Kohaku and Hakudoushi, and you get your keyboards set up."  
Kanna nodded again and Kagura left to talk with the boys. She found them in an obvious spot: playing on the Play Master 6000, with Kohaku loosing badly. They were playing a Mario racing game, with twenty racers. Hakudoushi was in second place, and Kohaku was in twentieth, but he had no intent on loosing like this. Kagura watched as Kohaku slowly passed the nineteenth person, then the eighteenth, and soon he was fourth. Hakudoushi had moved back to third, and Kohaku was right behind him. The two racers passed the second place one, putting Hakudoushi into second and Kohaku into third. Only one racer stood in Hakudoushi's way. Now two.  
"Huh?" Hakudoushi exclaimed as he saw Kohaku's racer cross the finish line first.  
Kohaku's eyes widened. "I won," he whispered dumbfounded. "I actually won." He jumped up and started to sing and dance happily. This was the first time he had ever beaten anyone at any of his games before. He was silenced by Kagura's clapping.  
"Well done," she smirked, "But we have important matters to discuss."  
Hakudoushi groaned. "Do we have too?" he whined.  
"Yes," Kagura responded sharply. "I have entered us into the Battle of the Bands contest that InuYasha and his band entered. I discussed this with Kanna and she thinks it's a good idea-"  
"You always discuss stuff with Kanna first," Hakudoushi said angrily. "Why don't you come to one of us first?"  
Kagura raised an eyebrow. "The last thing I would want to do is put the fate of our band in the hands of two little boys."  
"But," Hakudoushi protested, "Kanna's a little girl-"  
"She's older than you," Kagura pointed out. "Why are you bothered? Do you not think this is a good idea?"  
Hakudoushi was silent. He did think it was a good idea.  
"Indeed," Kagura continued. "Now, don't you think it's time to put away the games and make a little music?"  
Kohaku and Hakudoushi smiled and nodded. The three of them went back to their practice room to find Kanna had set up their keyboards. Too bad none of them noticed the flock of Hyoukoumori spying on them just outside their house.  
  
Night was beginning to fall. Most of the village had gone to sleep. But Kikyou was unable to even close her eyes, let alone sleep. She decided to go for a walk around town. Maybe that would make her sleepy. She started out the door and found Jakotsu sitting on the front steps. She continued walking past him, not even looking at him.  
"Hey, Kikyou," Jakotsu said meekly, "Where're ya goin'?"  
Silence was his response. Kikyou continued to walk, not even turning around to give him "the stare." Jakotsu decided to follow her. Lately he had been feeling really uncomfortable about what happened the other night. He really needed to talk to Kikyou about it, but would she listen?  
Jakotsu jumped up, but forgot that the stairs were covered in ice. He slipped, but caught the banister. He ran; slipping a few more times on the icy ground, and caught up to her. He looked at her face, and it seemed like she was trying to chew her tongue.  
(If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.)  
"So," Jakotsu said slowly, "Where'd ya say you were goin'?"  
Again, Kikyou didn't even look at him. She was really hurt that Suikotsu left her, and in her eyes it was Jakotsu who ripped them apart. She was beginning to even feel hatred towards him.  
Jakotsu saw that he was going nowhere with this, so he tried a different tactic. "Beautiful night," he said, looking up at the dark, cloud filled sky. Kikyou turned her head to look at him, but not for very long.  
"You know," Jakotsu continued, "Silent treatment doesn't work on me. I need to talk to you. And I think you need to talk to me."  
"I have nothing to say," Kikyou said flatly, and began to walk faster. Jakotsu matched her speed. "All I want to do is talk," he said.  
"Talk then," Kikyou whispered.  
Jakotsu smiled. "See? I knew you couldn't ignore me forever. Umm, anyways. I wanna apologize for that night. But keep in mind: that was not my original intention, and we did have a lot to drink."  
Kikyou looked at her feet. That was true, but it still wasn't an excuse. The silence of the village's streets was hard for either of them to handle. They continued to walk, but said very little. And as the clouds parted, small blue objects could be seen flying through the sky high above the village, ready to report back the news of where InuYasha lived to their master. 


	8. Journey Through the Snow

Morning had come. That meant time to shovel snow, which was an annoying chore, but their three young minds could easily make it fun. Kohaku, Kanna and Hakudoushi were asked by Kagura to shovel the snow off of their driveway. At first, they protested against it. Child labor, they called it. But Hakudoushi was able to make almost anything fun.  
(Like the time Kagura asked him to clean the bathroom. The sink had all that rusty stuff under the tap, and the bath wasn't any better. It had all that icky hair in the drain. But it definitely was nowhere near as bad as. the toilet.  
Someone had been sick in it the other day, and it was all clogged up with Kami knew what else. But Hakudoushi had this way with things. He even found a way of making this disgusting chore a fun game. He called it "Diving For Treasure," starring his toy boat collection.)  
"I still think there's laws against this," Kohaku moaned as he shoveled snow. They were only about a quarter of the way down the driveway, and it seemed like they had been working for hours. He looked over at his friends. "Well?" he said.  
"Just shovel the damn snow," Hakudoushi muttered. "Then we can go inside, have a drink of nice, warm hot chocolate, and Kanna and I can kick the crap out of you on one of your games."  
"Fine," Kohaku muttered. "But I still don't think this is very fun."  
Hakudoushi stopped. "You want fun?" he smiled. "Ok then, prepare for a 'Hakudoushi Original'." Hakudoushi motioned for Kanna and Kohaku to come over to him, and he whispered his ideas.  
Meanwhile, Kagura was inside the house, preparing a warm meal for the working kids. She prepared real hot chocolate, not that fancy stuff that everybody liked.  
(They'll drink it if they wanna keep warm.)  
However, something else was on Kagura's mind. InuYasha and them had been gone for about three days now. She was actually starting to miss them.  
(Especially Kouga.)  
She almost dropped the chocolate mix on the floor. Did she really just think that? She put the chocolate mix on the counter and went into the den to sit down. Yes, it was true. She did miss him. But why? She didn't like him.  
(Is that true?)  
"Yes," she said out loud. "Of course it's true."  
She recalled her past with Kouga, always insulting each other and hurting each other. But was that really just a way of showing affection? She shook the thought away. She didn't have time to think about him right now. She had hot chocolate to make.  
(And that's more important, is it?)  
She continued to have this argument with herself as her siblings and their friend shoveled the snow, in a new game called. "Shovel the Snow."  
[Okay, so Hakudoushi isn't good at making up names. But none of them really were.]  
  
Even after all this time, Queen La Saia never really found out where the lair of the ice demons was located. She had only heard rumors about it, and only knew where it could be, if it even existed at all. She decided to send OmegaNihon to where she thought it was, and maybe they could find out for sure. If they were able to find it, they could devise a sneak attack on the ice demons. Then maybe they could finally put an end to this stupid war. InuYasha accepted to go, and so he and his friends prepared for the long trek through the cold.  
Villagers gave them blankets and thermoses with hot soup and other warm things so they wouldn't die out in the cold. InuYasha was quite sure of himself and his friends. He knew they would be all right. It had been three days since they had arrived at La Saia's castle. Now, on the forth day, they would be setting out again.  
La Saia and the villagers said their farewells and good lucks to the group as the left the village.  
"So what happens when we find the fortress?" Miroku asked, shielding the lightly falling snow from his eyes.  
"That depends how we're feeling when we get there," InuYasha smiled. "If we're feeling bold, we attack."  
"Are you crazy?" Sango exclaimed. "The nine of us are no match for that entire fortress! Even you alone had trouble with that snake thing!"  
"He caught me off guard, is all," InuYasha said, the smile fading from his face. "And besides, we probably won't be in shape to fight anyways. This is more of a reconnaissance mission."  
"You don't even know what that means," Kagome laughed. InuYasha growled, but it was true. He had no idea what he just said.  
With InuYasha in the lead, followed by Kagome, who was holding Shippou in her arms to keep him warm, Miroku and Sango walking side by side, Nobunaga and Kouga next and Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru last, the village disappeared from sight. Sesshoumaru glanced over at Juuroumaru, who had begun to drool, and with the coldness of the weather, it started to freeze.  
"Disgusting," Sesshoumaru whispered under his breath.  
(Maybe you should teach him to be more civilized.)  
That was a bet he was willing to take. When  
(if)  
WHEN they got back home, Sesshoumaru would teach this wild demon to be more civilized, and maybe even teach him how to speak properly.  
  
They had returned; that flock of Hyoukoumori that Gyouka had sent out to find out where InuYasha and his friends lived. They knew, and so, they passed their information to their master.  
"Excellent," Gyouka chuckled. "I know who I can send for this mission."  
He walked down the spiral staircase and entered the fortress's grand hall. The Hyoukoumori followed him. He scanned around the great room and saw that it was empty, save for himself and a few icy bats.  
"Where are they?" he demanded.  
(Maybe they're out looking for chicks.)  
Gyouka chuckled again. "It wouldn't be the first time," he muttered. Then he turned to the Hyoukoumori and said, "I want you to find Shimoka and Frostbyte. When you do, tell them to come see me. I have a job for them."  
The Hyoukoumori leader nodded, and the group flew away to start their next project: find the ice ninja, Shimoka and his henchwoman, Frostbyte.  
  
The snow had begun to fall harder. InuYasha and his party had to find shelter to rest for a bit, to wait out the storm. Unfortunately they could not find anything. Their only hope was to pitch a tent that one the villagers had given them. It wasn't very sturdy, and probably wouldn't last very long in this storm, but they pitched it anyways.  
"We should get some sleep before we continue," Miroku suggested. The others nodded in agreement.  
As everyone unfolded his or her sleeping bag, Sango became confused and a little worried. It seemed that she had left her bag at the village.  
(Oh crap.)  
What was she to do now? She would have to share with someone.  
"What's wrong, Sango?" Miroku asked.  
"I left my sleeping bag back at the village," she answered, her eye beginning to twitch.  
Miroku smiled. "So that means you'll have to sleep with one of us," he said slyly. "And that someone should be me." He climbed into his sleeping bag, and motioned for Sango to join him. She stayed put, blushing.  
"Don't be embarrassed," Miroku smiled, that sly look still on his face.  
"Okay," Sango said, "Okay, I'll do this, but you have to promise that you won't try anything."  
Miroku's smile grew even larger. "I promise. Now, come on. We need to get some sleep.'  
Sango climbed into the sleeping bag. InuYasha watched this the whole time. He started taking out his own sleeping bag from out of his backpack, but decided to try something else.  
"Kagome," InuYasha said, poking her arm. "I forgot my sleeping bag. Can I share with you?"  
"Get real," Kagome chuckled. "I'm not going to share with you. You should've remembered to bring your own." She motioned for him to go away. "Share with Kouga or Sesshoumaru," she yawned and went to sleep.  
InuYasha looked over at Sango and Miroku.  
(They just HAVE to be cuddling, don't they.)  
InuYasha grunted and took his sleeping bag from out of his backpack and began to unroll it.  
"I thought you said you forgot it," Kagome said in a singsong voice.  
InuYasha panicked. "Umm," he said frantically, "I. I borrowed it."  
"From who?" Kagome asked sternly, crossing her arms.  
"From," InuYasha looked around and remembered Sango and Miroku. "From Sango," he lied. "She said that she would rather sleep with Miroku, so she gave me hers."  
(Bravo. clap. clap. clap.)  
"Oh," Kagome said, unfolding her arms and smiling. "That was nice of her. Okay then. Good night, InuYasha."  
"Good night, Kagome," InuYasha whispered and crawled into his bag. "That was a close one," he muttered under his breath.  
"Hmm?" Kagome said, raising an eyebrow. "What was that?"  
"Nothing," InuYasha said apologetically, putting his arm behind his head and smiling uncomfortably. "Just go to sleep." He sighed as she closed her eyes. 


	9. Shimoka, the Ice Ninja

Kikyou loved the sound of birds chirping. But because of the cold, all the birds had migrated to a warmer climate. She sat in her bed and looked out her window. It had snowed again last night. She took in a deep breath and listened to the sounds of her friends playing outside.  
Bankotsu, Jakotsu, Renkotsu and Mukotsu were having a snowball fight. They had divided into two teams: Bankotsu and Jakotsu on one team and Renkotsu and Mukotsu on the other. Bankotsu and Jakotsu had built a snow fort, and had an almost ever-lasting supply of snowballs. Renkotsu and Mukotsu, on the other hand, had a different method of attack.  
Renkotsu would run towards his enemy's fort and hurl a snowball at point blank range, then retreat to avoid the retaliation. Mukotsu was a little sneakier. He went into Kikyou's shed and took her ladder. He then went to the top of her roof, with a handful of snowballs. From his vantage point, he could see the entire battlefield. When one of his enemies came into his view, he would launch a snowball at them and leave them dazed and confused.  
Bankotsu was sneakier still; he had gathered up a supply of snowballs and was fusing them together to form the ultimate snowball: the Bankyuu! Just as Renkotsu was making one of his kamikaze runs, Bankotsu released the Bankyuu and hit Renkotsu right in the face.  
Jakotsu burst out laughing, which made Renkotsu's temper rise a few hundred degrees. He decided to use this extra heat and created a giant fireball and shot it at the fort. It was incinerated right before everyone's eyes. Jakotsu looked at his burning base and burst out in tears.  
Kikyou could feel her lips turn up into a smile as she watched this. Then she realized she had to be somewhere else. She hadn't seen her younger sister, Kaede, in a long time. She had made plans to go visit with her, just in case she needed any help with anything.  
"Better get going," she muttered under her breath. She packed herself a little overnight kit, and headed out the door. She was only halfway outside when she was almost pelted with a snowball.  
"Sorry, Kikyou!" Bankotsu called from out of nowhere.  
She rolled her eyes and walked over to them. "Time out," she said. "I'm going to visit my little sister. I'll be gone for a few days."  
She walked away, but was suspicious of the lack of snowball throwing afterwards. "Oh," she smiled. "Time in."  
As she left sight, the four boys began to pelt each other with snowballs.  
  
Kikyou arrived at her little sister's house. Kaede lived right next door to InuYasha. Kikyou remembered how she would spend time with him there. She sighed and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Kaede answered it.  
"Kikyou?" she said, surprised. "Why, I have not seen ye for a long time! Come in! Let's get ye out of this awful weather."  
Kaede lead Kikyou into her living room. She was preparing a warm soup for their lunch. "What brings ye this way, sister?" she asked as she stirred the broth.  
"I have a problem," Kikyou said in a low whisper.  
Kaede ladled some soup into a bowl and handed it to her guest, then took some for herself. "Tell me all about it," she said as she sat down next to Kikyou.  
Kikyou took in a deep breath and explained to Kaede the story of how she and Suikotsu had broken up. It had been a few days now, but it still really hurt her.  
"Break ups always hurt," Kaede said, taking a sip of her soup. "But ye must give it time to heal." She smiled. Kikyou tried to do the same, but her lips remained lifeless.  
  
(Now, Shimoka. A woman and three kids live in that house. I want you to destroy the lot of them. Then maybe InuYasha will get the idea. It is not very wise to come up against KooriKisaki. Not very wise at all.)  
  
Dark Cloud was a fun game. Kohaku, Kanna and Hakudoushi all agreed. Kohaku had just recently bought it from the local games store. It was on sale for a reasonable price. The three of them took turns playing it.  
Kagura walked in and saw them playing. "Can I play?" she asked.  
Kohaku dropped the controller and joined Kanna and Hakudoushi in looking at Kagura in disbelief.  
"What?" Hakudoushi said with his mouth hanging wide open. "You wanna play? B-but."  
"But what?" Kagura said angrily. "Do you think that I don't have the capacity to play one of your games?"  
Hakudoushi shook his head. Kanna gave him the controller and he passed it on to Kagura. "This oughta be good," he sneered.  
The three kids watch as Kagura, a first time player, was doing pretty good. She seemed to know how to handle the controller well, probably because she watched them so much. Even Hakudoushi was impressed. The four of them concentrated so hard on the game that they didn't hear what was going on outside.  
Two people, a man and a woman, were walking into the village. The man had really long brown hair. It looked as it he had never had a hair cut in his life. His skin was almost pure white, and his eyes were a dark blue. He was wearing a uniform that was similar to InuYasha's, except it was an icy aqua color. He carried a sword at his left side.  
The woman had light blue hair, worn in a ponytail. Her skin wasn't as pale as her partners, but it was pretty light in color, and her eyes were a deep purple. She wore expensive, sapphire encrusted earrings. She also wore an outfit similar to Kikyou's, except her shirt was green instead of white.  
They arrived at Kagura's doorstep and politely knocked on the door, causing Kagura to break concentration on the game. "Who could that be?" she grumbled. She got up and answered the door. "Yes," she said, "May I help you?"  
"Oh," the woman said, "I think you can. Let me introduce myself. I am Frostbyte, and this is my master, Shimoka. We'll be killing you know."  
And with that, Shimoka unsheathed his sword and slashed at Kagura. He missed, but he sent her sprawling backwards.  
"Should we help her?" Hakudoushi asked.  
Kohaku looked at him in disgust. "Of course we should help her!" he yelled. The three kids dashed to Kagura's aid.  
"What cute little children," Frostbyte smiled. Then she turned her gaze to Kagura. "It's such a shame that we have to kill such a beautiful looking woman." Her smile turned into a sneer, and bared her fangs.  
"Why are you attacking us?" Hakudoushi asked. "What did we do? We don't even know you!"  
Frostbyte ruffled Hakudoushi's hair. "We're doing this because we were told to."  
Shimoka dashed towards Hakudoushi and took another slash. He missed the slash, but only by mere millimeters. Kagura got to her feet and motioned for the kids to stay back. They began to protest, but Kagura ordered that they leave. So they dashed down the hall to get away from their attackers. Shimoka burst past Kagura to follow them. She tried to stop him, but was stopped herself by Frostbyte.  
"And where do you think you're going?" she sneered. "A pretty lady like you could get seriously hurt fighting a master swordsman like Shimoka."  
Kagura brandished her fan and opened it. "And you might get seriously hurt fighting a master wind witch like myself." She created a gust of wind that sent Frostbyte flying out onto the street. Kagura dashed outside to meet her enemy, and found her already on her feet.  
"That was pretty good," Frostbyte snickered. "But now that we're in the snow, we're in my domain."  
Meanwhile, the kids had managed to get outside, away from their pursuer. But it didn't take long for Shimoka to find them.  
"Great," Hakudoushi muttered, "What are we gonna do now?"  
Shimoka made another lunge forwards, but Kanna was quicker than him. His sword struck her mirror and sent it ricocheting back towards him. The kids took this time to flee. The got around to the front of the house to find Kagura and Frostbyte still fighting.  
Frostbyte conjured up a blizzard so that it would be impossible for anyone to see, except herself and her master of course. She dashed towards Kagura, clasped her hands together and hit her on the back of her head, knocking her out. Frostbyte then turned her attention to the three little kids.  
"Hello there," she smiled. She raised and opened her hand. It became encased in blue flame, and she blasted it at her enemies. Kanna once again held up her mirror and deflected it away, but she lost control of it and sent it into the wall of the house of their next-door neighbor.  
"Oops," she muttered. But something startled her. Her mirror had become frozen. Frostbyte took this opportunity to attack, but it was cut short thanks to a little outside help.  
From out of nowhere, Kirara came storming in, in her powerful fire form. She blasted a great fireball at Frostbyte, sending her flying backwards into melting snow. She then turned her gaze to Shimoka. She blasted one more ball at him before dashing to check on the kids.  
"We've been defeated. But I am not leaving empty handed," Frostbyte muttered to herself. She got up and dashed towards the kids. She blasted an ice ball at Kirara, which stunned her just in time for Kanna to be swept up.  
Frostbyte and Shimoka flew away on a cloud of snow, with Kanna in their grasp. Kirara powered up a blast, but Kohaku stopped her.  
"No," he said, "You'll hit Kanna!"  
Hakudoushi dashed over to the fallen Kagura. She was still unconscious. "We need help," he said. "Kirara, take us to Kikyou's!"  
Kirara nodded and the two boys helped Kagura up on her back.  
"What about Kanna?" Kohaku asked.  
"We can't do anything about that now," Hakudoushi said. With the three of them on her back, Kirara flew them to Kikyou's house. 


	10. The Rescue Plan

As they flew through the air on Kirara's back, Kohaku and Hakudoushi could see the damage caused by all the snow that had fallen. They looked at all the houses and other things covered in at least five feet of it. It was the most snow that either of them had seen in their entire lives.  
They arrived at Kikyou's place in almost no time at all. Bankotsu and Renkotsu were outside in the front yard, building a snowman, and Mukotsu was inside, watching a show called Majo no Jouken. Kirara landed at Bankotsu's feet.  
"What happened?" Bankotsu asked as Hakudoushi and Kohaku dismounted Kirara's back.  
"We were attacked," Hakudoushi explained, "buy a pair of ice demons. They kicked the crap out of Kagura-"  
"And took Kanna," Kohaku finished.  
"We better get her inside," Renkotsu said. He lifted Kagura up and brought her inside and laid her on the couch. "Mukotsu, get her a hot water bottle or something."  
Mukotsu nodded and went into the kitchen.  
"These ice demons," Bankotsu started, "Have you seen them before?"  
The boys shook their heads. Then Kohaku felt something bite his neck. He slapped it, crushing the flea that was trying to feed on him. The flea fell into Kohaku's hand, and he realized who the little guy was.  
"Myouga!" Kohaku said. "How've you been?"  
Myouga groaned. "I've been better," he said, reforming himself. "I was listening to your conversation about those ice demons, and I think I might be able to help you find them."  
"Really?" Kohaku said in amazement.  
Myouga nodded. "I believe you were attacked by the ice ninja, Shimoka. Is this correct?"  
Kohaku nodded.  
"Shimoka lives in a shrine far to the north," Myouga explained. "I can show you the way there. That's most likely where he's holding Kanna."  
"No offence," Bankotsu said, "But I don't think that two kids could take on this ice ninja."  
Myouga smiled. "Thanks for offering to help, Bankotsu."  
"What!?" Bankotsu exclaimed, "No, I didn't offer to help, I just."  
Mukotsu brought in a filled water bottle and asked Renkotsu if he could heat it up. Renkotsu obliged, and used his flames to heat up the water. Mukotsu then took it over to Kagura, who began to wake up.  
"C'mon, Bankotsu," Renkotsu said, "Let's help 'em. I mean, when was the last time we really fought anything?"  
Bankotsu sighed. "Fine," he muttered, "We'll help."  
"Help with what?" Kagura asked as she sat up.  
Hakudoushi walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Kagura," he said, "We have a slight problem."  
  
The cell was cold and dark. The only light came from the small window near the top of the brick wall. The only place to sit, besides the cold floor, was an uncomfortable bed made of wood. So, it was there Kanna sat, looking into her mirror. She was watching her friends, who were devising a plan to rescue her. Then she heard footsteps approach, so she hid her mirror under the bed.  
"I bet you're hungry," the guard taunted as he held a tray with very little food on it. He slid it through the bars and "accidentally" dropped it. "Oops," he smiled wickedly, "Clumsy me. Well, enjoy."  
He walked away, chuckling to himself. As he did, Kanna hopped off the bed. She walked over to the food and picked some of it up. She looked at it for a few seconds, and then threw it hard against the wall.  
Meanwhile, in the main chamber of their shrine, Frostbyte and Shimoka were busy thinking about their latest fight. However, Frostbyte was thinking about a little bit more than just the fight itself. She had never seen a woman quite like Kagura before. Sure, there had been those other women. But this one, she thought, was different. This one was definitely a keeper.  
"Shimoka," she smiled, "I think I'm in love."  
Shimoka looked over at his partner. "The wind witch?" he asked.  
Frostbyte nodded. "Don't you think she's cute?" she asked.  
Shimoka shrugged. He wasn't into that sort of thing. Fighting was his life. It always had been, and it always would be. Warriors like himself didn't need love.  
"Well," Frostbyte said, "I don't care what you think. I'm gonna make her mine. And hopefully she cares enough about her cute little friend to try to rescue her."  
"And when she does," Shimoka said, holding up his sword, "we'll be ready." He thrust the blade deep into the wooden flooring. Frostbyte smiled wickedly.  
  
During their last night out in the freezing snowstorms of the outskirts of La Saia's kingdom, a great gust of wind came and ripped the tent as if it was a piece of wet paper. InuYasha and his gang no longer had protection against the wind and snow. They were more or less screwed, but they did not give up. They walked through the freezing weather and eventually they came to a small hill. It had one straight side, which led to the opening of a cave that could provide shelter. As they entered it, Kouga sensed something. It was as if he had been here before, but he couldn't remember when it was.  
They walked through the cave until they could no longer see the opening. It was dark, but at least it was warm. They unpacked their things and decided they should rest for the night. Finding KooriKisaki's fortress would be impossible in this weather, so it was decided that they should return to La Saia's village in the morning.  
When they had unpacked everything, they calmed down and slept, completely unaware that a single Hyoukoumori was watching them. It returned to its home and filled Gyouka in on the details.  
"So," he muttered to himself, "They are trying to find us, eh? Ha! They won't be able to."  
"Sir," the Hyoukoumori squeaked, "Is that cave not part of Fuyuka's domain?"  
Gyouka smiled. "Yes it is," he said. "But where is he? I haven't seen him in a long while."  
"I believe that he and his wolf tribe had gone to look for shards of the Shikon jewel," the bat said. "They have been gone for a while, now that you mention it."  
"Find them," Gyouka ordered. "I think it's time that InuYasha met our entire family."  
The Hyoukoumori nodded and flew in search of some other ice bats to look for the leader of the Kooriookami  
[that's 'Ice Wolf,' for those who don't know]  
tribe: Fuyuka.  
  
Kagura, Kohaku and Hakudoushi, with the help of Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Myouga and Kirara, were now ready to rescue Kanna from the ice shrine of Shimoka. Myouga refused to come at first, but with a little persuasion, he decided to change his mind. He was the only one out of all of them who knew where Shimoka's shrine was.  
Kagura took a feather from her hair, and with a flick of her wrist she tossed it into the air. It grew big enough for her, Kohaku and Hakudoushi to ride. Bankotsu and Renkotsu had to share Kirara. Kohaku took Myouga in his hand, climbed onto Kagura's giant feather and the seven of them were off.  
Once again, snow had started to fall. It seemed that it would always start snowing when they would try to do something important. It was as if something was watching them and didn't want them to succeed.  
Myouga guided them through the storm. They passed over many villages and forests. Eventually they were led to a remote location. A lone shrine stood in the middle of a clearing of a deep forest. Snow covered the ground and trees. The shrine itself wasn't really all that fancy. It was more like a little red bungalow. But, inside was a different story.  
The party landed in the trees, so those who dwelt in the shrine would not detect them. The snow began to fall harder. They hid behind the trees and peered around to see the shrine. It didn't look like it was guarded.  
"Piece of cake," Hakudoushi whispered. "We go in, we get Kanna, and we get out."  
"It will not be that easy," Myouga said. "It may not look guarded, but there are things in there that we should be aware of."  
"Spill the beans then, insect," Hakudoushi snapped.  
"There are guards in there, that's all you need to know for now."  
"Strong?" Bankotsu asked. Myouga chuckled and shook his head.  
As they were talking amongst themselves, forming a plan to sneak into the shrine, they didn't notice a group of small animals coming up behind them. The animals were like little balls of fluff. They were snow white, so they blended into the scenery very well. Their eyes were a solid gold color. They were the Yukikyuu, the snowball demons. Sure, upon first glance they were cute little critters. But, if someone got them mad enough.  
And that's just about what Kagura and company were about to find out. 


	11. Kanna's Escape

The Yukikyuu demons crept up silently to their victims. Only a few more feet, and their enemies would be at the mercy of the ice queen. Only a few more feet.  
"What's that behind us?" Kohaku asked as he turned around. The Yukikyuu froze in their tracks. "I think I hear something behind us."  
Because of their great camouflage, the Yukikyuu could not be seen by normal eyes.  
"It's nothing," Renkotsu whispered. "Just the wind or something." He was sure it was only that, and nothing more. That's what sent the shivers down his spine.  
Kirara nose began to twitch; she could smell evil approaching. She quickly transformed into her fiery form and blasted a wave of flame behind them, destroying some of the snowball demons. The others began their attack. They jumped up onto Kirara and tried to hurt her, but her flames kept them at bay. Renkotsu decided to join the attack and sent out a wave of his own. The flames incinerated more of the Yukikyuu, but for every one that was destroyed, two more seemed to take its place. Soon, the little demons surrounded them.  
Kagura decided to dash to the shrine in all this confusion. She arrived at the gate and was joined by the two little boys and Bankotsu. Renkotsu and Kirara stayed behind to get rid of the Yukikyuu.  
"What do we do now?" Kohaku asked.  
Myouga, who was still in Kohaku's hand, answered, "We go in, of course."  
They tried the door, but it would not budge. They tried again, but still nothing happened.  
"Perhaps we should knock," Bankotsu said. He was joking of course, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Hakudoushi knocked on the door three times. After a few seconds of waiting, the door slowly opened, creaking loudly.  
The four of them, plus the little flea, stepped into the shrine. They were in the main hall, and the dungeon was just beyond that. The main hall wasn't that big or fancy; it had a rather cozy feeling to it, despite the fact that it was their enemy's home.  
"Is anyone even here?" Bankotsu whispered. Sure enough, he got his answer. From the ceiling dropped a ball that contained some poison gas. When it hit the floor, it exploded in a big purple cloud. Kagura used her fan to blow it away.  
"Amateurs," she chuckled. "They obviously don't know who they're dealing with."  
"Then," a female voice said, "You underestimate our intelligence." Frostbyte dropped from the ceiling. She landed, knelt on one knee and then rose. "Oh," she smiled, "Brought the whole family, did you?"  
"What are you implying?" Kagura asked, annoyed.  
Frostbyte pointed to Kohaku and Hakudoushi and said, "Those are your children, are they not?"  
Kagura's face went red with anger. "They are not my children!" she yelled. Then she turned to the kids and said, "I don't look old enough to have kids, right?" Hakudoushi began to speak, but Kohaku silenced him by shaking his head.  
"Could've fooled me," Frostbyte shrugged. "But now's not the time for small talk. Let's get down to the good stuff."  
"I agree," Kagura smiled. She dashed to her opponent and blew a great gust of wind. Frostbyte was over come by this and was sent flying to the wall. She crashed and fell to the ground, but she got up as if it was nothing.  
"Not bad," she smirked, "Not bad at all. But, now it's our turn."  
Shimoka came from out of nowhere and snuck up on Bankotsu. He brought his sword down to his enemy's head, but it was blocked. Bankotsu had spun around and deflected the attack with the Banryuu, his trusty sword.  
Kagura continued fighting Frostbyte and Bankotsu continued fighting Shimoka. In all this confusion, Kohaku and Hakudoushi thought it best to look for Kanna. They dashed to the far door and slipped inside; just as they thought, the dungeons. But it would not be so easy. Two guards blocked their paths.  
"What do we do now?" Hakudoushi whined.  
Kohaku brought out his sickle and threw it at the guards' heads. It hit with a hollow clung sound and the guards fell down, unconscious. "Piece of cake, right?" Kohaku smiled. Hakudoushi nodded.  
They ran towards the cell wall. "Kanna?" Kohaku yelled, "Are you in there?"  
They heard a muffled sound that could have been Kanna's reply. "How are we gonna get her out?" Hakudoushi asked.  
Meanwhile, back in the main chamber, Renkotsu and Kirara had joined the fight. They blasted the room with waves of fire, destroying the furniture. Soon the whole room went up in flames.  
"Would you watch were you're shooting those things, please!?" Bankotsu yelled at them. Renkotsu just shrugged.  
"Kirara," Kagura said, "Go back there and see if the boys need help. I'll be fine," she looked at Frostbyte. "I think I can take her by myself. Go!"  
Kirara dashed behind Frostbyte and came to the dungeon room. She powered up a blast of fire and shot it to the wall. A loud crash, several chunks of burning rubble and two surprised boys later, Kanna had been freed. The four of them rejoined the battle. It was Kagura, Kirara, Kanna and Kohaku versus Frostbyte and Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Hakudoushi versus Shimoka.  
Bankotsu brought his sword down on Shimoka, but he blocked it. Shimoka then, from his hand, threw several blue flower petals. They hit Bankotsu's face and burned him. Renkotsu and Hakudoushi returned the attack and sent Shimoka flying threw the wall and out into the snow.  
"Guess I don't know my own strength," Hakudoushi smirked. He, Bankotsu and Renkotsu dashed outside to continue their fight. Meanwhile, inside, Kagura and her group were not doing as good against Frostbyte. She threw some of her own flower petals at Kirara, stunning her and forcing her to return to her cute, weaker form.  
"Crap," Kagura moaned. "Kohaku, Kanna, be careful!"  
Kohaku brandished his sickle and aimed it carefully at Frostbyte. Seeing as he was supposed to be a demon slayer, this would have to be his job. He flung the sickle at Frostbyte, who just batted it away.  
"Cute," she smirked. "Now why don't you kids go away and play while us ladies have a little fun of our own?"  
Kohaku and Kanna stood their grounds. "We're not going anywhere," Kohaku said with confidence.  
"You have courage," Frostbyte said. "I admire that. However, courage is a useless thing if you are not smart enough to use it."  
Kagura blew a huge gust of wind at Frostbyte, sending her sprawling through the air. She landed inches away from an immense flame. As this was going on, Myouga had jumped over to Kirara. He began to suck the poison from the petals out of her face. She soon regained consciousness and transformed yet again. She powered up a gigantic fireball and hurled it towards where Frostbyte was lying. It struck the ground and the entire shrine exploded in an enormous flame that seemed to engulf the sky itself.  
Shimoka saw that this battle had been lost, so he fled to regroup with Frostbyte, who had also escaped.  
"Thank you for rescuing me," Kanna said to Kohaku softly.  
"Aw," Kohaku blushed, "It was nothing really."  
The others stared at him in disbelief. Kanna, on the other hand, stepped forward and embraced him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Again, there were more stares of disbelief.  
  
Daybreak had arrived at last. InuYasha and his group could now head back to La Saia's kingdom to regroup. They packed all their stuff in their backpacks, slung them over their shoulders and headed towards the opening of the cave.  
What they failed to realize, however, was the group of Kooriookami that was waiting for them at the entrance of the cave. They had white fur, long sharp fangs and glowing red eyes. The entire group of them was encased in a white mist, because they were so cold. A dark blue wolf was at the front of the group. His purple eyes glowed with anticipation. He was ready for this attack.  
"Icehaken," a voice called from the group of wolves, "Don't get to excited. We have to plan this carefully."  
"Yes, Master Fuyuka," Icehaken snarled. "I'm happy just as long as we get to rip them into tiny, little shreds."  
"You'll get your chance, Brother," the voice whispered. "Be patient."  
The Kooriookami group slowly started walking deeper into the cave. 


	12. Fuyuka, Leader of the Ice Wolves

[By the way, if you are enjoying this story, please tell me about it. Even if you're not, please give me a review. I would very much like to hear about what you think of it.]  
  
It was starting to snow yet again as Jakotsu walked to InuYasha's village. The snow had risen about two more feet in that area, making a total of about four or five. Since the snow didn't seem to stop, it would probably get much higher later on in the day. This was the most snow Japan had ever seen since, well. since ever, really. The winters weren't normally this cold.  
Speaking of cold, a sudden gust of wind blew down on Jakotsu, nearly sending him face first into the snow. "Son of a bitch," he muttered to himself as he tried to regain his balance. "I hate this."  
He continued trudging through the cold, powdery white stuff, trying to fight off the urge to collapse because of the wind. He had already done so a few times before hand.  
(I don't know why I'm even doing this.)  
Another gust of freezing wind came without warning. This time, he completely lost his balance and fell face first into the snow. He got up, brushed the beard of snow from off his face and continued to walk, cursing under his breath.  
He could see the village now. Or rather, he could see what wasn't buried under five feet of snow. Just a few more minutes of freezing cold, then he would be in the nice warm house of Kaede. Or so he thought.  
  
Refreshed, wide-awake and ready to head back to La Saia's kingdom, OmegaNihon walked down the cave towards the entrance. However, little did they know, they were going to have a nasty welcome waiting for them. Fuyuka and his wolf tribe, the Kooriookami, were waiting at the mouth of the cave, planning to attack.  
Icehaken's nose began to twitch. "I smell something familiar," he muttered. He turned back towards the rest of the pack. "Do you smell that?" he asked. Some of the other wolves began to growl quietly.  
"I do," the voice spoke from the pack, "But I don't believe it." it trailed off. The tribe continued to walk into the cave.  
Meanwhile, back inside the cave, Nobunaga noticed that Kouga was behaving a little strangely. "What's wrong?" he whispered.  
Kouga looked up at him. "Nothing," he muttered. "I guess I'm just homesick."  
InuYasha stopped walking, and studied the area in front of him.  
"Why have you stopped?" Kagome asked.  
"I smell something up ahead," InuYasha answered. "Wolves?" He turned to Kouga, who just shrugged. They continued to walk to the entrance of the cave, ignoring the smell. That is, of course, until they actually saw the wolves for themselves.  
Icehaken and the Kooriookami tribe stood right before InuYasha and his friends. "So this is who we've been sent to kill?" Icehaken snarled. "Fine by me." He leapt up and InuYasha, and so did about half of the other ice wolves.  
"They must've been sent here by KooriKisaki," Kagome exclaimed.  
"What are you," InuYasha snapped, blocking Icehaken's attack, "the narrator?"  
Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Nobunaga all drew their swords and prepared to fight the onslaught of ice wolves that were heading toward them. Kagome readied her bow, Sango grabbed her boomerang, and Miroku grasped his staff. A war broke out. A wolf leapt at Sango, but she just knocked it away with her 'rang.  
"This isn't so hard," Sango smirked. Suddenly, a wolf jumped up from behind her, bringing her to her knees. Miroku batted it away with his staff.  
"You're right," he smirked, almost mocking Sango.  
Five wolves cornered Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru to the wall. The wolves were curious as to why their captives were smiling. They soon found out. Sesshoumaru unleashed a wave of energy from his sword, sending all five wolves flying to the wall. Juuroumaru dashed forwards to finish the job.  
The second half of the ice wolves, the half that wasn't fighting, continued to watch.  
(Impressive. They are proving to be worthy adversaries after all.)  
Icehaken leapt at InuYasha one more time and managed to bite his arm. InuYasha just flung him away as if he was a tiny bug. "You don't think you can beat us, do you?" InuYasha chuckled.  
Icehaken snarled. "No," he said, "I KNOW I can beat you!" He leapt up one final time and managed to knock the Tetsusaiga out of InuYasha's hand. His victim fell to the ground, stunned.  
"InuYasha!" Kagome called with concern, "Are you okay?" She ran to him, but was jumped by two other wolves. She was down.  
Nobunaga and Shippou were trying their hardest to beat the group of wolves that were attacking them, but it was useless. They were both brought down. Eventually, the Kooriookami tribe had beaten everyone. Only Kouga was left standing. Icehaken leapt at him, but was stopped by the voice from the pack. Kouga looked at the group of wolves that didn't fight. He could see a figure in the mist. It stepped forward, and revealed itself to OmegaNihon.  
Fuyuka, the Kooriookami tribe's leader, looked almost exactly like Kouga, except for a few details. The fur on his boots, as well as the fur on his shoulder pads, was an icy blue color. His chest plate and his loincloth were a darker blue color. His hair was turquoise and up in a ponytail, his headband was gold and his eyes were a bright green. He also had more mass, muscle wise.  
Kouga gasped in surprise when he saw this wolf demon. "No," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "No, it can't be."  
"You sound surprised to see me," Fuyuka smiled. "When I was told that there was a group of people in one of my caves, I pictured a bunch of stupid mercenaries. I guess I'm not that far off."  
"You still have that same annoying wit," Kouga smirked. "Good to know you haven't changed much."  
"Oh I've changed," Fuyuka sneered. "For the better, of course."  
As the two wolf demons were talking amongst themselves, InuYasha regained consciousness. He noticed that the Tetsusaiga's handle was in reach, so he made a grab for it. One of the Kooriookami noticed this and tried to prevent him from doing so, but InuYasha had already gotten to his feet. The wolf stayed at its spot.  
"Would someone mind tellin' me what's goin' on?" InuYasha exclaimed. "Like, for starters, who the hell are you?"  
"We have been sent here," Fuyuka answered, "by KooriKisaki. She's asked us to destroy you, and that's what we're gonna do."  
InuYasha smiled. "Do you believe this fool?" he said to Kouga.  
"I am far from an fool, my friend," Fuyuka snickered. "I have been asked to do something, and now it's time to do it." And with that, the ice wolves leapt to attack their enemies. InuYasha had to act fast, and only one thought came to him.  
(The Scar of the Wind.)  
With one swoop of the Tetsusaiga, the entire Kooriookami tribe was sent flying. Many of them perished in the blast. Fuyuka put up his left arm to block the attack, but underestimated its power. His arm was ripped to shreds like a damp piece of paper. Icehaken and the remaining wolves carried their fallen leader and fled the cave.  
"That wasn't too hard," InuYasha smirked. "C'mon, let's help the others." InuYasha went over to Kagome. He put his arm on her shoulder and she began to stir. She muttered, "I'm okay," as she got to her feet. They continued helping the others, until everyone was on their feet. They were all more or less okay, save for the average bruise or two. Kouga, on the other hand, wasn't all that okay.  
"Do you know him or something?" InuYasha asked. Kouga turned to him and whispered something that sounded like "yes," but he would say nothing more.  
  
Meanwhile, La Saia was waiting patiently in her room for news of InuYasha and his friends. Nothing yet. But she knew they were okay. They had proven to her that they could take care of themselves. This was still a concern to her though.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by her advisor. He knocked at her door and she allowed him to come in. "My Lady," he said, "I do not think that it is safe for you to stay here, what with all the ice demons around."  
La Saia nodded. "What do you suggest?"  
"I think that we should move you to a more secure location."  
La Saia smiled. "All the arrangements have already been made, your highness," the advisor said. La Saia got up and walked with him to a carriage outside the house she was staying at. Three guards were already at their posts and were waiting to take her to a safer location. As she climbed aboard the carriage, the guards thought it odd that she wasn't wearing anything on her feet. 


	13. Sekka, the Snow Pixie

One of the Hyoukoumori spies that Gyouka had sent out prior to the events in Fuyuka's cave returned with big news for its master. It flew over the frozen courtyard where the massive Icykal was tending to its young, and landed in the tower's window. It called for Gyouka.  
He came over to the little bat and heard its story. "KooriKisaki is on her way back," it squeaked. "She'll be here in a few hours."  
Gyouka pondered on this news for a second. "And what did you find out about Shimoka?"  
The bat exhaled a little puff of breath. "He and Frostbyte were defeated by that woman and those kids." Gyouka let out a frustrated growl, but the bat continued talking. "I've spotted another village nearby. I suggest attacking it to get their attention."  
Gyouka scoffed. "And just who'll attack it?"  
"I will," a cute sounding female voice said from within the chamber.  
"Who's that?" the Hyoukoumori asked, looking over Gyouka's shoulder.  
"That," Gyouka answered with a wicked smile, "is Sekka, the forth general of KooriKisaki's army."  
  
The peaceful serenity of InuYasha's village was broken by a loud sneeze coming from its front gate. Jakotsu had caught a cold from being out in the freezing weather for so long. But he wouldn't let that stop him. He had come to this village for a reason. And he intended to see it through, no matter what.  
He arrived at Kaede's place. It was a modest little house that would at least provide warmth from the insane weather. He looked at the wooden steps leading up to the door and was reminded of an event a few days ago, so he decided to climb them with extreme caution. But he slipped anyways.  
After regaining his balance, he knocked on the door. A few long seconds later, Kaede answered the door. He smiled at her, but she didn't return one. She studied him for a few minutes, and realized that he was probably going to keel over of exhaustion and freezing soon. So she decided to let him in to warm up.  
He walked into the living room and was shocked to see, in front of a cozy fire, Kikyou snuggling up with Suikotsu. They both turned around and looked up at him. He expected the worst, but instead was offered a blanket for warming up.  
"So," Jakotsu whispered, "Does this mean you two are back together?" Kikyou and Suikotsu looked into each other's eyes and nodded. "So," he continued, "We're cool?"  
Suikotsu smiled. "Of course," he said. "Don't worry about it. It was just a stupid mistake."  
Jakotsu smiled. "Okay then," he said, cheerfully. He looked away from the couple and the smile disappeared from his face.  
(Something's not right here. Why is Suikotsu being so nice? I mean, considering the big show he put on when he first found out.)  
He shook the thought away and decided it would be better just to accept Suikotsu's change of heart. Then he remembered Suikotsu's "condition." Being schizophrenic, it was normal for him to have "changes of heart." But still.  
Jakotsu's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash that came from outside the house.  
"What was that?" Kaede exclaimed as she raced to the door. She opened it and stepped outside. The others joined her.  
What they saw was a horrific sight. People were scrambling all over the place. A great cloud of snow had risen over the village, and a figure could be seen in it, blasting giant balls of ice down to the ground. The ice balls hit with precision, blowing houses to pieces, freezing innocent villagers in their tracks.  
Kikyou dashed back into the house and grabbed her bow. She enchanted one of her arrows and shot it at the figure. It hit its target dead on, but it didn't seem to hurt it. The figure slowly floated down to them.  
It was a cute, young girl, about the same age as Kagome. She was wearing a tight light blue t-shirt with tight blue jeans. Painted on the thighs of the jeans were blue flames. She wore nothing on her feet, but she did wear blue wristbands. On her head, she wore a bright blue bandana; her darker blue hair flowed out of it to her waist. And her eyes were a dark purple.  
"That wasn't very nice," she smiled.  
Kikyou gritted her teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are, and what the hell do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed.  
"Having fun," the girl winked. "I'm Sekka. Nice to meet you." She walked over to Suikotsu, and very slyly, she said, "And it's really nice to meet you."  
"Get away from him!" Jakotsu shouted, running up to her.  
Sekka held out her hand and blasted a weak ice ball at him. "You weren't thinking about attacking an innocent little girl like me, were you?"  
Jakotsu smirked. "Meh, all girls are the same to me."  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sekka asked with an inquisitive smile. "You'd rather be with a boy?" When she got a nod for her response, she put her hands to her mouth and said, "Aww, that's so cute!"  
Kikyou rolled her eyes. "Now's not the time for this." She readied another arrow and shot it at Sekka. In mid air, she grabbed it, broke it over her knee and threw the two pieces to the ground.  
"You're mean," she chuckled. "Those arrows are dangerous, too. You could really hurt someone with them." She giggled.  
"What a cocky little bitch," Suikotsu muttered under his breath.  
Sekka spun around and glared at him. She powered up another ice ball and blasted it at him. He ducked out of the way, but the fragments of the smashed ball were thrown back up and cut his back.  
"Suikotsu!" Kikyou ran over to her fallen boyfriend. He said he was okay, but he sure didn't look it. "Want me to get your claws?" she asked, but he shook his head.  
"No, that won't be necessary."  
(Drastic times call for drastic measures. It seems that it won't take a normal person to bring down this snow demon. But, if I don't, Kikyou may get hurt. Should I?)  
"What's wrong, honey?" Kikyou asked, putting her arm around him, and trying to ignore the remarks of Sekka.  
"Kikyou," Suikotsu said, taking her off of him, "I love you." And with that, he jumped into midair, where Sekka was hovering, and held up his hand. His whole are became a long, brown tendril. It shot out towards Sekka and smashed her down hard to the ground. This one act showed to everyone that it was not Suikotsu there with them now, but Naraku. Kikyou stared at him, stunned and hurt.  
"That hurt," said Sekka as she got up, brushing some of the blood from her mouth off her face with her hand. "That really hurt. You should be ashamed of yourself, picking on this poor, defenseless little girl." She jumped up at him at amazing speed, clasped her hands together and brought them down on top of his head, sending him down to the ground. "See how you like it, big bully," she said, sticking out her tongue.  
Kikyou readied one final arrow and shot it to Sekka, in hopes of bringing her down. No such luck, though. This time, she caught the arrow, powered it up with her own magic and sent it back to Kikyou. Kaede saw this and jumped in the arrow's path. She felt its cold pierce through her body. The arrow's magic made her blood freeze solid. She died instantly.  
Kikyou looked at her dead sister in horror. She didn't even notice the battle was still raging on. A new player had joined the fight. Jakotsu had stepped in, wielding the Jakotsutou. He made an attempt to slash at Sekka, but she was too quick for him. However, she didn't expect that the sword could extend, and was caught off guard by its slash.  
Blood trickled down her freshly cut arm. But instead of showing signs of pain, she just laughed. "Do you really think you can beat me with such a primitive weapon like that?" She used her index finger to wipe away the blood on her arm, and flung it down to the ground. When it hit the ground, the snow around it sizzled and melted.  
"This isn't looking good," Naraku muttered to himself, still in Suikotsu's form. He tried to make another attempt to bring down the cute ice demon by striking with another tendril, but she batted it away like it was nothing. She then followed up with another huge ice ball. She threw it at Naraku, hitting him and encasing him in ice. He fell to the ground, stunned. She then turned her view to Jakotsu.  
"Oh crap," he muttered to himself. He looked at Naraku's stunned body, and then over to Kikyou, who was weeping over her lost sister. He then turned his gaze to Sekka, who was walking over to him slowly, smiling. 


	14. The Return Journey

"Oh crap," Jakotsu muttered under his breath. He looked at the stunned body of Naraku, and then over to the crying Kikyou. He then looked towards Sekka, who was walking over to him, smiling.  
"To be honest," she said, "I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for more of a challenge."  
"So it's a challenge you want," Naraku snickered as he got up, shaking the loose ice off of himself. "Then you came to the right place." He had returned to his full original form, and dashed towards the young snow demon. She wasn't prepared for the power of his punch, and was sent clear across the village.  
She sat up, stunned. "What just happened?" she whispered to herself. She got to her feet and met with another hit across the face from Naraku.  
(Shit!)  
She struggled to regain herself, but Naraku wouldn't let her. After a few more hits, she decided it would be better to give up. This was a loosing battle for her.  
"You're stronger than you look," she said, wiping blood from her mouth. "Don't think this is over." She floated back into the mist that covered the village and disappeared with it.  
Naraku smiled. He was pleased with his victory. He had also saved the woman he loved. Unfortunately for him, she didn't quite feel the same way. He searched the battlefield for Kikyou and found her by Kaede's body.  
"That wasn't so hard," he said confidently.  
"Kaede's dead." Kikyou managed to mutter between sobs.  
"A simple casualty of war," was his response. Kikyou stopped crying, and rose to meet Naraku face to face.  
"What did you say?" she whispered. Naraku began to speak, but he was silenced by a slap across the face, which even made Jakotsu jump a little. She looked straight into his hurt eyes. "Why the hell did you do that?" she asked in that same low tone voice. "How could you do that to me?"  
Naraku was puzzled. What was she talking about? It was true, Kaede being a casualty of war, but-  
(Is that why she's mad?)  
Naraku began to speak. "Kikyou, I-"  
"You impersonated Suikotsu so you could have me, is that correct?" Kikyou exclaimed angrily. Naraku tried to speak again, but was silenced again. "Just go," she said, motioning for him to leave with her hand. "I never want to see your face again."  
"But, Kikyou-"  
"I said go!" Kikyou turned away from him and walked to her sister. Naraku continued to watch her, stunned. Why had she yelled at him? He didn't understand.  
(Is this why she is angry?)  
"Naraku," Jakotsu called out, breaking his train of though, "I think you should leave."  
Naraku looked at him, then back to Kikyou. He balled his hands into fists and walked away slowly.  
(It wasn't supposed to be like this.)  
He narrowed his eyes. "If I can't have her," he muttered silently to himself, "then no one can."  
  
InuYasha and his party were beginning to become very tired from walking around in all of that heavy snow. However, the weather became warmer, and the snow had stopped coming down so hard on them. They were all grateful for this, at least. Still, they didn't feel quite right. Especially Kouga. Seeing that other wolf demon sparked some unwanted feelings and memories.  
The Kooriookami, Kouga remembered, was the rivaling wolf tribe to his own. Back before he had even heard of the Shikon jewel, he had been trying to fight off this tribe of "fake wolves," and their leader. He hoped he would never have to see that mangy mutt again in his life.  
He was so into his thoughts that he failed to realize where they were. They had returned to La Saia's kingdom, and were greeted with open arms. One of the villagers came right up to them and asked, "Did you find it? The ice demons' lair?"  
InuYasha shook his head. "There was too much damn snow."  
The villager looked to the ground. But then he smiled and said, "You must all be tired. Please, rest here for a bit." He led them to his inn, where they stayed for the night. The next morning, they announced that they wanted to speak with La Saia again.  
"For safety reasons," the innkeeper said, "she's been moved to a safer location."  
"Makes sense," Kagome said. "We should be heading back home anyways."  
The innkeeper smiled. "You are right. On behalf of our village, I would like to thank you for all you have done for us."  
After the goodbyes, InuYasha and party started for their return trip home. They noticed that the snow around this area had begun to melt. Maybe the ice demons were loosing their power? With their luck. no. Lately, their luck had not been so great, although they did come out of all their battles, for the most part, on top.  
But at least now they could return to their nice, safe, cozy homes and rest for a bit longer before trying to tackle the ice demons. Unfortunately, what they failed to realize, was that this was going to become bigger than just that.  
  
Meanwhile, at the ice fortress, Gyouka was lecturing his fellow comrades on their performances in the last few days.  
"We have suffered four defeats already!" he exclaimed. Glaring at the three other generals before him, he asked, "How could you let them beat you? We are supposed to be the most feared demons in all of Japan! Now we're the laughing stock!"  
"We underestimated their power," Shimoka said flatly. "That is all. Now that we know how they move, we will be ready for them."  
"I hope so," Gyouka muttered, "for your sake." He turned to Fuyuka and said, "Is your arm any better?"  
Fuyuka nodded. That damn dog boy had ripped his arm to pieces. Using a little frozen water as glue, he was able to put it back together. It didn't look too attractive anymore, though. He had to cover it up with a sleeve made of Kooriookami fur.  
"I've hired a few helping hands," Gyouka muttered. "A few weaker demons were all I could find, though."  
A Hyoukoumori interrupted them. It flew into the room, landed in front of Gyouka and said, "She will see you now."  
Gyouka nodded. "Sekka, you're in charge until I get back. Wipe them out. All of them." And with that, he and the ice bat left to go see their mistress, KooriKisaki, who had returned to the fortress earlier.  
"Well boys," Sekka smiled, "We have work to do. So let's get started, shall we?"  
  
Shippou became tired again, so Kagome offered to carry him. Sleeping in her arms, he dreamt of home. Not the one he was living at now, but his old home, where he lived with his father. He missed him so much. He couldn't quite remember what happened to him though. It must have been very traumatic, if his memory wouldn't let him think of it.  
A vision of a pelt flashed in his mind. It was made of beautiful golden fur. It looked so familiar. but he couldn't quite remember, until he saw the face on it. Then he realized what it was. It was the remains of his father, being worn like a piece of clothing. But who. was. wearing it?  
(Manten.)  
Shippou's eyes opened wide and he let out a little whimper.  
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked him. He looked up at her and shook his head. "Bad dream?" she comforted. "It's okay, the scary part's over."  
"I don't think it is," Shippou whispered. With these words, Kagome felt a wash of dread flow over her entire body.  
InuYasha stopped walking, and sniffed the air. "Sesshoumaru," he said, "Do you smell that?"  
Sesshoumaru looked around and nodded. "Centipede demon," he said. "Closing in fast."  
InuYasha, Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Nobunaga drew their swords. They all looked around to see where the demon was coming from, but they couldn't tell. InuYasha, Kouga and Sesshoumaru could smell it easily enough, but they had no idea where the smell was coming from. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.  
"There must be more than one," InuYasha said. "Good, I could use a little practice."  
The others got ready for battle too. Miroku was preparing to release his wind tunnel, should they need it. Sango changed to her battle wear and held the Hiraikotsu in attack position. Shippou jumped out of Kagome's arms and changed into a bow. Juuroumaru looked around cautiously and sensed something behind him. He ducked as a centipede demon lashed its tail at him.  
They realized that they were indeed surrounded by centipede demons, seven of them to be exact.  
InuYasha scoffed. "Looks like one us'll have to sit this one out."  
"I disagree," a creepy sounding female voice said from out of nowhere. An eighth centipede demon revealed itself. It was Mukade Jourou, the very first demon that InuYasha and Kagome had ever fought together. "What's wrong," she cackled, "Surprised to see me?"  
InuYasha and Kagome took a step back. Seeing this old enemy was very surprising indeed. OmegaNihon stood its ground and prepared for the fight with the centipede demons. 


	15. The Song of the Frog

"What's wrong?" the female centipede demon hissed. "Surprised to see me?"  
Mukade Jourou had returned from the world of the dead to do battle with InuYasha to exact revenge for her death. The question was how did she return? As far as InuYasha knew, centipede demons couldn't raise from the dead. Unless, of course, they had a little assistance.  
"I hear that you have shattered the sacred jewel," she growled. "Is this true?"  
"Well," InuYasha began, "Technically, yes. But it's not like we're gonna give you a chance to try and find it anyway." He leapt at her and slashed with the Tetsusaiga. She slithered out of the way and returned the attack with a slash from her many hands. She managed to strike InuYasha clear across the face, but that didn't stop him.  
The other centipedes joined in the fight too. One lashed its tail at Miroku, who received the blow directly in the back of his head. Sango rushed in to help him to his feet, and hurled her boomerang at it. It hit the creature, slicing its head clear off its body. It wriggled around for a few seconds before it died. Then the others joined in the battle. Centipede parts were hurled around the battlefield like confetti. They were obviously no match for OmegaNihon.  
Mukade Jourou's decapitated body falling to the ground signified the end of the battle. InuYasha smiled. "That was fun."  
"But where did they come from?" Kagome asked with a touch of fear in her voice. "We killed that centipede a long time ago. How did she come back?"  
"I bet the ice demons have something to do with it," Miroku said. "We best be on our guard. If the ice demons knew to send that centipede, they may know more than we think they know."  
"You know, Miroku," InuYasha smirked, "Sometimes you have good advice. But other times I don't know what the hell you're talking about."  
Miroku rolled his eyes. "The point I'm trying to make is that we should be careful."  
After a long pause, Sango said, "We should keep going." The others nodded in agreement and the nine of them set off once more.  
  
While OmegaNihon was walking back home, Kikyou and Jakotsu had a small eulogy for Kaede and buried her and the other fallen villagers that Sekka had claimed. Myouga and Kirara joined them.  
"What happened here?" Myouga asked, looking at the graves. There were maybe a dozen and a half.  
"We were attacked by an ice demon," Jakotsu explained. "It killed Kaede."  
Myouga narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that, and alarmed as well. Kagura was attacked by an ice demon not too long ago. I have a strange feeling that there's a connection."  
"I wonder if InuYasha has met up with any of them," Jakotsu said, a slight tone of worry in his voice. "I hope he's okay."  
"InuYasha can take care of himself," Kikyou said flatly. "So, ice demons, you say?"  
Myouga nodded. "Very powerful ones too. Kagura was attacked by the ice ninja, Shimoka. And you were attacked by Sekka. Both of them are generals of the ice demon empire, headed by KooriKisaki, the ice queen."  
"What would they want with us?" Kikyou asked. "We have nothing against them. And nothing they would want."  
"The Shikon jewel," Jakotsu whispered. "They must be after it."  
"Well duh," Kikyou said, rolling her eyes.  
Myouga smiled. "You two are acting like an old married couple."  
Upon hearing this, Jakotsu picked up Myouga between his index finger and thumb, and squished him. "I was just kidding," Myouga uttered as he floated down the ground.  
"If we and Kagura were attacked," Kikyou said, "What says that InuYasha wasn't?"  
Jakotsu looked up at her. "Are you saying that you hope he was attacked?" he exclaimed.  
"Of course not," Kikyou snapped, "But if they are after us, they'll be after him as well."  
"I suggest," suggested Myouga, "that we go talk to Kagura. Maybe we can come up with some sort of battle plan to fight them."  
Kikyou nodded in agreement, and Kirara took the three of them to Kagura's quaint little house. They arrived there in a few minutes and found Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Mukotsu waiting there for them. Kagura, Kanna, Hakudoushi and Kohaku were also there, waiting.  
"The cavalry has arrived," Kohaku whispered to Hakudoushi.  
"This is the cavalry?" he exclaimed. "Now I'm depressed."  
"I heard that," Kikyou smiled as she and Jakotsu dismounted Kirara. "So you were attacked by an ice demon too, huh?"  
Kagura nodded. "All the more reason to join up to fight them, just in case they try something el-"  
"Listen," Kikyou snapped, "I do not need your help to fight these things! We are quite capable of handling this matter ourselves."  
Renkotsu shoved Bankotsu forwards a little. "Go on," he smirked, "Tell her."  
"Umm, Kikyou?" Bankotsu started, "I've already agreed that we should join together to fight them."  
Kikyou narrowed her eyes. "You made a decision this important without discussing it with me first? Fine then. But we'll do as I say-"  
"Oh, put a sock in it, you old winge-bag," Kagura snapped. "As long as we are on my property, we follow my rules." Kikyou recoiled, and was silent. "Now, let's go inside where it's warm and discuss this." She led the ten of them into the house.  
  
One the day that OmegaNihon was supposed to arrive back home, they ended up taking a little detour that led them to a familiar area. Well, InuYasha, Kagome and Nobunaga found it familiar anyways. It was the area where they first met. Memories came flooding back of how they saved Princess Tsuyu and her husband from that evil frog demon.  
(Kaeru no uta ga.)  
It was another demon that had gotten power from the Shikon jewel. Too many evil demons had obtained shards of it to gain power. So many of them wanted it, and would do anything to obtain it. That frog was no different.  
(Kikoetekuru yo.)  
It had imprisoned several young girls in egg sacks in order to feed on their life force to gain more strength in hopes that it would get more shards of the jewel. (Gwa. gwa. gwa. gwa.) But fortunately, InuYasha, Kagome and Nobunaga stepped in and destroyed the evil creature before it could do any more harm. (Gero. gero. gero. gero) Or so they thought.  
"Do you hear that?" Kouga whispered. He looked around at all the others. None of them knew what he was talking about, until InuYasha's ears began to twitch.  
"Ya," he said, "Ya I do."  
(gwa)  
"What is it?" Kagome asked. "What do you hear?"  
(gwa)  
"It sounds like a frog," InuYasha answered. Kouga nodded in agreement.  
(GWA!)  
The sound of the frog pierced through all their minds at once. The woman's scream did the same thing. The nine of them looked around frantically and saw Tsuyu's castle high in the mountain, explode into flames. Fear washed over them, especially Nobunaga. They dashed towards the flaming wreckage and saw a ghostly figure of a frog carrying a woman. It leapt from the fire. The woman was Tsuyu, and the frog was the old creature they fought all those years ago.  
"Princess Tsuyu," Nobunaga uttered. "We have to save her!"  
InuYasha nodded and led the way, following the frog demon and Tsuyu. They chased it to a forest, where there was a marsh. Smaller frog demons tried to slow them down, but failed. One swipe with the Tetsusaiga turned each one of them into a pair of delicious  
(well, not really)  
frog's legs.  
They chased the frog and its captive deep into the marsh. Nobunaga looked to his right and saw a white creature jumping from branch to branch. It was Hiyoshimaru, his trusty monkey sidekick that he had left to watch over Tsuyu while he was with the band. He smiled at him and quickened his running pace.  
The mud started to get wetter, which slowed them down. This bought the frog demon just enough time to elude its pursuers and fled deeper into the marsh to its home. It placed the fainted Tsuyu onto a log and prepared to feed on her life force. As it prepared, it started to sing. InuYasha picked up on the song and lead his team straight to it.  
"Let her go!" Nobunaga shouted.  
The frog demon scoffed. "And if I don't?" it croaked.  
"I'll destroy you," was its answer as Nobunaga drew his sword. The frog demon nearly fell over trying to contain its laughter.  
"You gonna take that from that frog?" InuYasha whispered into Nobunaga's ears.  
He shook his head and stood his ground. "Please don't try to help me," he said. "I must do this on my own."  
InuYasha smiled and motioned with his hand for Nobunaga to start the attack. He dashed at the frog, bringing his sword over his head. He tried to land it on the frog's head, but it batted him away like he was nothing.  
InuYasha sighed. "This doesn't look too good for us."  
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. "I'm sure Nobunaga can take care of himself." InuYasha pointed at Nobunaga who was already incased in one of the frog's eggs. Kagome sweatdropped. "Maybe you're right," she sighed. "Okay then, you better go help him."  
InuYasha smiled and cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure." 


	16. Home Sweet Home

(Kaeru no uta ga. kikoetekuru yo.)  
  
Nobunaga tried to save princess Tsuyu from the frog demon's evil clutches, but things weren't looking good for him at all. The frog had dodged all attacks and had even encased him in an egg. If it had not been for InuYasha, he may have been done for.  
InuYasha leapt at the frog demon and brought the Tetsusaiga down on its head. It hit with a clung and stunned the creature long enough for InuYasha to cut Nobunaga out of the egg.  
"I said don't help me," Nobunaga said as he climbed out of the egg.  
InuYasha scoffed. "Look," he said, pointing his finger at Nobunaga, "I remember last time we fought this thing, and you couldn't do anything about it then. What makes you think it's gonna be any different now?"  
"It is different," Nobunaga whispered. "I can beat it."  
InuYasha frowned. "Fine then. But don't come crawling to me when it bats your sorry ass into the ground."  
Nobunaga smiled. "I don't think that will be happening anytime soon." And with that, he dashed to the frog demon, who was had already gotten to its feet. He swung his sword at the creature, striking it across the face. One of its eyes got cut open in the slash, and spilled red fluid.  
The frog was enraged now. It jumped at Nobunaga, swinging its arm frantically. He ducked out of the way, rolling on the ground. The frog made another strike, and again missed.  
InuYasha smiled.  
(Maybe there's hope for him after all.)  
Then the frog growled loudly. It seemed to be calling for something. The others looked around and saw a wave of frogs come from the swamp. They headed directly for the bulk of the group, who were standing off to the side of the real fight.  
Sango brought out her boomerang and hurled it at the oncoming horde of frog demons, slicing all of them to pieces.  
"You're getting good at that," Miroku smiled.  
"I'm just warming up," Sango smirked.  
Nobunaga continued fighting the frog demon, while the rest of OmegaNihon battled the smaller frogs. Kagome wondered how all these things had so much power. Then she saw it. Embedded in the frog's back was a glowing red thing.  
"Nobunaga!" she called. "His back! There's a shard of the Shikon jewel!"  
Nobunaga nodded and dashed behind the frog and slashed. His sword cut through the creature, but it failed to cut out the shard. It turned around quickly and smiled wickedly. Then the wicked smile turned to an evil laugh.  
"Fool!" it roared. "Do not think that a weakling human like you could hope to destroy a powerful demon like me!" It lashed once more at him, striking him across the face. He fell to the ground, covering his face with his hands. The strike had left a gash leading from his left cheek up to that side of his forehead. His left eye had been cut too.  
It walked slowly up to him, licking his lips. "Say good-bye, boy." Just when things looked their worst, Nobunaga slid under the frog's legs and slash its back one more time. He knocked the Shikon shard from out of its back, and it fell to the ground, dead.  
"Good-bye," Nobunaga smirked. He picked up the shard and walked over to Tsuyu, who was still unconscious. Then the ground began to rumble. More amphibious demons leapt from the marsh.  
Nobunaga picked Tsuyu up in his arms and lead the retreat, joined by Hiyoshimaru. The eleven of them now ran from a massive tidal wave of frog, toad and salamander demons. Kagome noticed that deep in the center of the wave was another shard.  
"Shippou," she said, "Turn into a bow." He did, and she fired an arrow right at the shard. It hit it, and embedded it into a tree. The wave of demons disappeared right before their eyes. She walked over to the tree and grabbed the shard, and then they all ran out of the forest.  
  
It was unanimously agreed upon that now that they were home, they should all return to their respected houses for rest. Nobunaga brought Tsuyu and Hiyoshimaru back to his place. He figured he could take care of her until she got better. Miroku winked at him when he heard this, causing Nobunaga to blush.  
(Gigady gigady gi.ga.dy.)  
Miroku and Sango arrived at their place shortly after. They were shocked to find that Kirara wasn't waiting for them. Sango smiled. "She's probably at Kagura's, looking after Kohaku."  
"We'll go see them in the morning," Miroku said. "But for now we should rest."  
Sango nodded and the two of them went to bed. Separate beds, mind you; despite Miroku's protests.  
(One of these days we'll have just one bed. I can't wait for that day.)  
Sesshoumaru returned to his creepy mansion to find Jaken and Rin waiting up for him.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" the little green creature yelled excitedly, "Welcome back! We didn't expect you home so early- " Rin interrupted him by running up to Sesshoumaru and giving him a big hug. Her eyes began to fill with tears; she was so happy he was home.  
Sesshoumaru smiled. "What have you two been up to since I was gone?"  
"Not much," Jaken admitted. "It's been really boring here."  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "I'm not that exciting. You two should go out and make some friends."  
(Like Kagura's pests maybe.?)  
Meanwhile, Kouga had returned to his cave. The guarding wolves were excited to see their master returning home. They jumped and danced excitedly around him as he entered into the cave. He stood in front of his bed, and collapsed face first onto it.  
"It's good to be home," he whispered and closed his eyes.  
  
The return journey had ended for only half of OmegaNihon. InuYasha, Shippou, Kagome and Juuroumaru still had to go to Kagura's. They had things to discuss. They arrived at her place earlier than they expected, but it was still getting dark and cold outside.  
InuYasha was about to knock on the door, when Juuroumaru stepped forward and opened it.  
(Oh ya. He lives here, doesn't he.)  
He shrugged and the four of them went inside. As expected, Kohaku, Kanna and Hakudoushi were having a free-for- all on the Play Master 6000. What wasn't expected, however, was the fact that Kohaku was winning.  
(The curse is broken!)  
"Oh," Hakudoushi said, "Hello. Welcome back." He didn't take his eyes off the game as he said this.  
"Where's Kagura?" Kagome asked.  
"Kitchen," was a droned response from Kohaku.  
Shippou sat down on the couch and Juuroumaru picked up the fourth controller. Meanwhile, Kagome and InuYasha went into the kitchen and found Kagura sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the Nikkei.  
She looked up at them and gasped in shock. "I didn't think you guys had come back yet."  
"Sorry to disappoint," InuYasha muttered. "So, how's every little thing-"  
"We don't have time for small talk," Kagome interrupted. "We have something to tell you."  
They took their seats and began to fill Kagura in on their fights with the ice army, about how they found the woman, who turned out to be Queen La Saia  
(!!!)  
and their battles with Friezer and the Kooriookami.  
"We were also attacked by ice demons," Kagura said. "As was Kikyou."  
A wash of dread swept over InuYasha and Kagome upon hearing this. If the ice demons attacked them, that means they knew where they lived. InuYasha, Kagome and Kagura continued discussing the ice army and its queen, KooriKisaki and failed to realize they were being watched. A single Saimyoushou hell wasp was peering through the kitchen window.  
When it obtained all the information it needed, it flew back to its master to relay the news.  
  
Inside his hidden castle, Naraku was busy preparing for a little trip.  
"KooriKisaki," he muttered under his breath. He continued stirring the giant pot in front of him. "Perhaps she could help me."  
Suddenly, from inside the pot, a purple hand emerged and grabbed the rim. Naraku smiled. "Welcome back, Goshinki."  
The big purple monster stepped out of the pot. "It's good to be back," it growled. The two other pots behind Naraku started to bubble.  
"They're almost ready as well," he smiled. "All is going as planned. Tomorrow, I will find this fortress and join forces with the ice queen."  
"I know," Goshinki smirked. "You don't have to tell me anything. I know all and see all."  
(Because I can read minds. heehee.)  
Naraku rolled his eyes. "Indeed." The pot closest to them began to bubble more rapidly. They noticed a small grayish scythe rise from the bubbling mass. As this was going on, Juuroumaru felt complete loss of all his senses for a split second, and then everything went blank for him. 


	17. Blossoming Romances

A week had passed since InuYasha and his party arrived back home. Since then, several new relationships have begun to blossom. Sesshoumaru decided that Rin was in dire need of some friends, so he arranged a little play date for her. He took her over to Kagura's place, so that she could play with the kids. Inside the house, Hakudoushi and Kohaku were having an argument about who had a better voice, out of Ayumi Hamasaki and Puffy AmiYumi.  
"...No," Kohaku said, shaking his head, "I believe that AmiYumi's voice is an original sound. It's far superior to that of Hamasaki's."  
"Oh, stop it now," Hakudoushi protested. "Ayumi's voice is much more original."  
"You're just taking her side because she performs one of our theme songs." Kohaku rebutted.  
"Thanks for making my point," Hakudoushi answered, sticking his tongue out. "Her voice is good enough to perform our themes, AmiYumi's is not."  
"Do you know what I think?" Kanna said, walking into the room. "I think you are both idiots."  
Hakudoushi jumped to his feet and stomped over to his sister. "What was that?" he exclaimed angrily.  
"Has either of you two actually heard either of these voices?" Kanna whispered. Hakudoushi and Kohaku were both silent. "I rest my case," she said. Then there was a knock on the door, and Kanna went to answer it. As she was doing so, Hakudoushi whispered to Kohaku, "What does she know anyways?"  
Kanna opened the door. Standing there, several hundred feet tall, was Sesshoumaru, and Rin was hiding behind him. "Hello, Kanna," he said. "Rin has a play date with you today, is this correct?"  
Kanna nodded and motioned for Rin to come in. After a little hesitation, she finally stepped through the threshold. Sesshoumaru smiled at her, said his goodbyes and left.  
[He had a little project to get started on...]  
Kanna led Rin into the living room where Kohaku and Hakudoushi had already begun to play videogames. Rin sat down on the couch, took one of the pillows and seemed to hide behind it, peering out from it to watch the boys play their game.  
Kanna cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said. She got no answer. "Excuse me," she tried one more time, and again nothing. She walked calmly over to the game and switched it off. Much protest from the boys later, she decided that the four of them should go play outside in the snow. And so, away they went.  
Before they were outside, Hakudoushi was a little skeptical of letting in a new person join their little clique. "We don't need any more girls," he said. He was still in that phase where girls were disgusting and covered in cooties. That is, of course, until he saw her against the bright background of the snow.  
Her dark brown hair flowed seductively, seeming to taunt Hakudoushi. Of course, it wasn't. Kanna was really the only person there who even knew what the word 'seductively' even meant. But still, Hakudoushi knew she was taunting him. As he nearly drooled over this beautiful angel, he was completely oblivious to the outside world, and was struck in the back of the head with a snowball.  
  
Sesshoumaru was appalled by Juuroumaru's behavior. It wasn't civilized at all. He acted like a wild animal. But, that would soon change. Sesshoumaru decided to teach him to be more civilized, like him.  
(Uh, uh, yes, uh... The Pacific Rim economy is still a tad shaky for my taste...)  
Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what he was getting himself into. Naraku couldn't even control Juuroumaru, so what hope did he have? This would take a lot of work, but he knew he would be able to pass him off as a gentleman soon. He would, or die trying.  
  
While Juuroumaru was snoring loudly, Kagura was in the middle of eating her lunch. She looked down at her plate, which was still pretty much full. She sighed and pushed it away from her. She wondered why Kouga hadn't come to visit her. He didn't still hate her, did he?  
(Impossible... How could anyone hate me?)  
"I'll go visit him," she muttered aloud. Then, without thinking, she started her journey to Kouga's cave. It wasn't a long ways from her house, but with all the snow it would seem like miles. She scoffed and brought out one of her feathers, and flew to the cave on it.  
The wolves picked up her scent right away, and stood before the entrance of the cave, blocking her. As she approached, one of them started to growl.  
"I don't have time for this!" she exclaimed. "Let me in now! I need to speak with Kouga."  
One of the wolves started towards her, but a voice from the cave stopped it.  
"Kouga's not here," Ginta said, exiting the cave.  
This shocked Kagura. "Where is he then?" Ginta shook his head. She stepped up to him and looked him right in the eye. "Where is he?" she spoke slowly.  
Ginta hesitated, and then he spoke, "He went to try to find out some information on the ice army." Kagura stepped back with a confused expression on her face. "He's pretty shaken up-"  
"What happened?" Kagura asked with concern. "Is he okay? What's wrong?"  
Ginta shook his head again. "Kouga said that Fuyuka's come back." Again, Kagura put on a puzzled face. "Come on," he continued, "We should talk about this in the cave." He led her inside and continued his story.  
"Who is Fuyuka?" she asked, sitting down.  
"Fuyuka is Kouga's older brother," Ginta answered.  
"What," Kagura said with an expressionless face and tone of voice. "How is that possible? I happen to know that Kouga doesn't have a brother."  
"You're right," Ginta smiled. "He has a half brother." Kagura sweatdropped. "That's all I know, though."  
Kagura scoffed. "What good are you?" She stood up and started to walk out of the cave. Then she turned around and asked, "Now then, where did you say Kouga is?"  
  
Mukotsu had just finished making himself a batch of popcorn in the kitchen. He took his bowl, dimmed the lights, sat down on the couch and turned the television on to his favorite program: Majo no Jouken.  
[A Japanese soap opera.]  
Just as he had settled down, what seemed like a storm came crashing through the house. Kikyou shoved open the front door and slammed it behind her, which was too bad for the poor soul behind it. It smacked Jakotsu right in the nose, causing him to fall backwards into the snow.  
"What's wrong now?" Mukotsu growled angrily as Jakotsu entered the room, his hand over his nose.  
"What's wrong?" Kikyou exclaimed. "That's what's wrong!" She pointed to Jakotsu, who was trying to stop the blood from gushing from his nose.  
Mukotsu rolled is eyes. "I'm all for arguing," he said sarcastically, "But would you mind doing it where I can't hear you?"  
Kikyou walked over to him, picked up the bowl of popcorn and dumped it on his head. Jakotsu started to giggle, but Kikyou shot him "the look." He stopped immediately. She walked away, clenching her teeth and balling her hands into fists.  
"What did you do this time?" Mukotsu asked, lifting the bowl from his head and trying to salvage the popcorn.  
"I don't know," Jakotsu answered, sitting down beside Mukotsu. "She's been acting really moody lately."  
Mukotsu let out a deep breath. "Us Shichinin-tai, we never were good with relationships. Remember the time when Renkotsu was in college?"  
(The annual college dance was a great place to pick up chicks, and Renkotsu knew that. He scanned the dance floor and saw several good-looking chicks. All of which were already dancing with their dates. He continued searching until finally he saw a vulnerable looking girl. Sweet, pretty, easy.  
Renkotsu walked up to her, introduced himself and asked if she would like to dance. But before she could answer, Bankotsu ran up to them and asked Renkotsu "How could you make out with Akane? How could you do this to me?"  
Renkotsu smiled uncomfortably at the girl, and as he and Bankotsu walked away, he whispered sarcastically "Yeah, that didn't make us sound gay at all...")  
"It's like a curse," Mukotsu continued. "And there's nothing you can do about it. You were doomed from the start."  
"I didn't start this," Jakotsu said angrily. Mukotsu just smiled. "What?"  
"You did too start it. Who was the one that offered to 'cheer her up'? Who was the one that took her out? Who was the one who slept with-"  
"Okay," Jakotsu said, getting up. "Okay, I get it. Maybe I did have this coming."  
"Now how are you going to fix it?" Mukotsu whispered. And for once, Jakotsu was silent.  
  
Kagome never would have expected a thing like this from InuYasha. The room was filled with candles. Romantic music was playing. It was the works.  
"I think that we haven't been spending enough time alone together," InuYasha smiled. Kagome blushed, and said nothing. The surprise of it all left her speechless.  
The song changed over. It was First Love, by Utada Hikaru. Kagome sighed pleasantly as she and InuYasha sat down to their romantic dinner. She listened to the calmness of the music and felt tears starting to flow out of her eyes.  
"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked. "Too spicy?"  
Kagome smiled and shook her head. "It's perfect."  
InuYasha returned the smile. "Kagome," he said after a long pause, which let the music settle into Kagome's head, "I love you."  
All this was almost unbearable for Kagome. All she could think of was the song that was playing. She didn't say anything for the longest time, and decided it would be best just to say the first thing that popped into her mind. "And I love you, Matsushima Nanako!" 


	18. The Queen of the Ice: KooriKisaki

[The good guys: ]  
  
(OmegaNihon)  
  
InuYasha never expected that his surprise romantic dinner would go so far for him. He lay there on his bed and opened his eyes to see Kagome cuddling up beside him. He smiled, kissed her forehead and closed his eyes again.  
Miroku and Sango also had an interesting evening. An insect demon had heard that they were friends with the caretaker of the Shikon Jewel, so it decided to give them a visit. They were caught off guard by its attack, but made short work of it easily enough.  
Shippou went to Kanna's weekly slumber party. He noticed that Kanna and Kohaku had gotten a lot closer. He also noticed the way that Hakudoushi was looking at Rin. "I'm glad I'm too young for this stuff," he thought.  
Nobunaga had taken care of Tsuyu to the best of his abilities. She told him how the frog creature murdered her husband and destroyed her castle. Nobunaga promised that he would take care of her for as long as she needed. She accepted.  
Kouga was busy thinking about Fuyuka and how he could have survived their last encounter. Kagura caught up with him and he explained the whole thing to her. It seemed that the last time they fought, Fuyuka suffered a rather nasty fall down a chasm. Kouga assumed that he died in the fall, but was wrong. Dead wrong.  
And as for Sesshoumaru's little project to teach Juuroumaru how to be more civilized... that wasn't going by very well at all. He just wouldn't calm down. And lately, he had been acting more odd than usual...  
  
(ChikaraEki)  
  
For the first time ever, Kanna had begun to show some emotion. No one knew what was happening to her, but they liked this change. Especially Kohaku. He and Kanna were becoming somewhat of an item.  
Hakudoushi had fallen for Rin. He didn't quite understand why he was feeling this way, but he tried his hardest not to mess it up. So far, so good... She didn't find him to be an obnoxious brat... yet.  
Kagura was trying her hardest to tell Kouga how she felt about him, but was worried that he would reject her, due to their rather ghastly past. One day, she thought, I'll tell him. But when though?  
  
(Yogore no Yurikago)  
  
It seemed that Kikyou had caught a rather nasty flu. She was throwing up almost every morning, and looked like a mess. Jakotsu tried his best to comfort her, but she kept pushing him away. She really didn't like him at the present time.  
And all Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Mukotsu could do was watch. They tried their hardest not to interfere, or else face Kikyou's wrath. They saw the way she was treating Jakotsu and felt really bad for him. The poor kid was messed up enough as it was...  
  
The creek babbled quietly, and the wind whistled through the tall grass and the trees. Suikotsu was sitting on a rock, watching nature unfold before him. Not much happened, until he heard the rumbling of heavy machinery coming from behind him.  
He stood up and searched for what could have been making that sound. Then he saw it: a silhouette of a tank against the horizon, heading right for him. He would have tried to run and hide from it, had he not known what it was. He was amazed to see it. It drove right up next to him and proved that it was who he thought it was.  
"Suikotsu?" the tank, Ginkotsu, asked. "What are you doing all the way out here?"  
The giant man who was sitting on top of the tank dismounted. "We thought you were with Kikyou," the giant, Kyoukotsu, said in a husky voice.  
Suikotsu looked at the ground. "I was," he muttered.  
"What happened?" Kyoukotsu asked.  
"It's a long story." Suikotsu answered.  
"Good," Ginkotsu chuckled. "We have lots of time."  
Suikotsu proceeded to tell his old friends of what happened all those weeks ago.  
  
A group of mantis demons were busy eating their prey when they smelled a putrid scent approach them. It was a fowl smell, one that made the flora and fauna all around them choke, wither and die.  
Riding a cloud of miasma were Naraku and his three reborn spawn: Goshinki, Musou and Kageroumaru. They were heading towards the frozen wasteland that was KooriKisaki's home.  
"Tell me again why we're going there," Musou inquired.  
Naraku smiled. "We are going there to join up with the ice army."  
Kageroumaru scoffed. "And what good will that do us?"  
Naraku's smile faded. "It will provide us with a bigger fleet to search for and obtain the rest of the Shikon Jewel, and to kill all who stand in our way."  
Kageroumaru rolled is eyes. "What ever gets you through the day," he said sarcastically. The miasma cloud rose and disappeared into the sky.  
  
[The bad guys: ]  
  
Shimoka and Frostbyte were forced to live in KooriKisaki's tower, since that woman and her friends destroyed their shrine. But they didn't really mind all that much. Sure, it was dark, gloomy and cold, but so where they.  
Fuyuka and the Kooriookami were busy training to become stronger so that what happened last time in the cave would not happen again. His arm had begun to heal as well, but the damage was ultimately irreversible.  
Gyouka had gone around and revived several demons that had been destroyed by InuYasha in the past. He didn't find as many as he had hoped, but he did form a nice little group. He returned with the latest member.  
Sekka waited patiently in the main chamber for Gyouka's arrival. She looked around and wondered why was it that no one was allowed to speak with KooriKisaki. Ever since she had returned, she would not let herself be seen, unless it was Gyouka, her trusted advisor.  
Gyouka entered the room, breaking Sekka out of her thoughts. An old hag was standing with him. "Sekka," he said, "I would like you to meet Urasue."  
"Charmed," Sekka said without any enthusiasm.  
Gyouka frowned. "Please show our guests a little more politesse."  
Sekka began to pout. "Why do you have to keep reviving ugly old demons? Why can't you bring back a cute young one?"  
Gyouka clenched his teeth. "We don't need cute young demons, we need experienced, powerful, vicious demons!"  
Sekka glowered. "What are you implying? You don't need me!?"  
"I'll take this one," Urasue spoke. "My dear girl, that is not what Lord Gyouka is trying to say. He is saying that a truly powerful army cannot consist of cute little puppies and kittens. It needs to be filled with powerful monsters."  
"But I like kitties," Sekka said, pouting again. "And puppies." She stopped dead in her tracks after saying this. Then she said, "Gyouka... that enemy that we are in the middle of fighting..."  
"InuYasha?"  
"Yeah!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Umm, what does he look like?"  
Urasue brandished a crystal ball. "Let me take this one too." She showed Sekka an image of InuYasha in the ball.  
Her eyes lit up. "Aww!" she exclaimed, "Those ears are so cute!"  
Gyouka rolled his eyes. "We really don't have time for this." Sekka didn't hear him. She was too busy ogling the image of InuYasha. Gyouka sighed. "Urasue," he said, and the two of them left Sekka and the ball alone.  
"This one's a keeper," she smiled wickedly. "For sure..."  
  
Naraku and his offspring easily discovered what OmegaNihon could not find. The ice fortress was standing right there below them. Hyoukoumori could be seen flying around the area, scouting for intruders. In the courtyard, the Toukaibutsu had matured to their adult forms. Icykal, their 'mother,' was teaching them how to engage in battle, and come out on top.  
"Security's pretty tight," Kageroumaru chuckled. "Even Goshinki could get past these." He looked at Goshinki, who's purple face had gone red. "Oh, you're here aren't you... Oh well, I stand by my original comment."  
"How do you propose we get down there?" Musou asked.  
Naraku smiled. "Easy. First we need a little bait." He looked down at Kageroumaru and his grin grew larger.  
"Think harder, Naraku," Kageroumaru muttered. "Send Goshinki. He's bigger, more of a distraction, and he can read the minds of the demons, so he won't get as hurt as me."  
"I can do a lot more damage to you than those demons can," Naraku snapped. "Now go down there!" Kageroumaru looked down at the fortress, gulped and jumped off the cloud.  
(This is crazy, what good could I do? I bet those bats can't even see me...)  
Suddenly, all the Hyoukoumori in the area dashed to Kageroumaru's location. He slashed wildly at them, slicing many of them into pieces. He then looked over at Naraku, who had already begun to descend to the fortress. He set his cloud right outside Gyouka's window.  
"Look out, Musou," Goshinki said. And as if on queue, Kageroumaru landed right on Musou's head. "Told ya," he smirked.  
Gyouka stepped to his window. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.  
"I have come to speak with Lady KooriKisaki." Naraku said.  
"KooriKisaki?" Gyouka exclaimed. "No body sees KooriKisaki, not no way, not no how."  
"Cut the crap!" Kageroumaru said, leaping at Gyouka, extending his scythe hand. Naraku grabbed his tail, and flung him back onto the cloud.  
"Don't be so rude," he said. "I'm terribly sorry about that. Now, in regards to this meeting... It has to do with InuYasha and the Shikon Jewel."  
"I don't care," Gyouka said, "No one may see-"  
"Let them in, Gyouka," a female voice called from inside. "I am back to normal now."  
The woman stepped up to the window. She was wearing an old fashioned blue gown with aqua sleeves. Around her neck, she wore a necklace made of rare and expensive blue jewels. She had long, dark purple hair. Her crown was an even darker purple, and it resembled a sort of shell shape. She also wore expensive looking purple earrings. Her eyes were purple, and her skin was a pale color, which was to be expected, as she was the queen of the ice: KooriKisaki. 


	19. Inverted Hair

The days seemed to be getting longer as everyone waited for an attack by the ice demons. When none seemed to be coming, they decided to make better use of their time. Miroku and Sango did just that. They practiced.  
After a few hours of plucking guitar strings, Miroku began to get bored. Then a kinky idea popped into his head. "Sango," he said, "I-"  
"We should get the whole band together," Sango interrupted, "and write a song." She glanced over at Miroku's blank expression, and then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. What were you going to say?"  
Miroku shuffled his feet, smiled embarrassedly, and said, "That's just what I was going to suggest."  
(Was not, you lying sack of sh-)  
"Shouldn't we get going?" Miroku said quickly, interrupting his own thoughts. As he and Sango walked out the door, he whispered silently, "Maybe we can do that later..."  
First they went to Nobunaga's place. His house was the usual cozy little house that was seen around the villages. The road leading up to his door hadn't a single trace of snow on it. They walked up to his house and knocked on the door. Tsuyu answered.  
"Oh," she said, "Hello."  
"Can Nobunaga come out and play?" Sango asked, smiling innocently.  
Tsuyu shook her head. "Sorry," she said, "Not today. Nobunaga was out all last night shoveling the snow off the road. He caught a pretty bad cold."  
Sango and Miroku looked at each other stunned. "Okay then," Sango said defeated. "Tell him we said 'hi'." Tsuyu nodded, closed the door and Miroku and Sango left.  
Their next stop was Sesshoumaru's place, that eerie mansion thing. They walked up to the door and saw the huge gargoyle knockers. Miroku couldn't help but chuckle. When Sango asked what was so funny, he bit his tongue. They knocked, and Jaken answered the door.  
"What the hell do you want?" he snapped.  
"Hello to you too," Miroku said sarcastically. "Is Sesshoumaru here?"  
Jaken shook his head. "No, he took Juuroumaru to some fancy auction."  
(Juuroumaru couldn't quite understand why anyone in his or her right mind would want any of this useless old junk. He strolled through the room, looking at all the weird pieces of artwork and old chairs and desks. The room had that putrid smell of age all around it.  
Sesshoumaru on the other hand was having a blast. Old knick-knacks were strewn about the room, and he was determined to find the one that was perfect for him. He ran around the room like a kid in a candy store. He thought all this stuff was 'classy.' Juuroumaru rolled his eyes. He thought it was a bloody waste of time.)  
Miroku and Sango continued their failing journey. Nobunaga was sick; Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru were at an auction. What next? Shippou invited to go see the emperor?  
("Now," Hakudoushi said to the four other kids, "We have to be very careful when we go to the palace. It's a great honor to perform for the emperor, and I won't let you mess it up for me!")  
"Maybe Kouga'll be able to play," Sango suggested. But when they arrived at his cave, Hakkaku said that Kouga was off somewhere and wanted to be alone with his thoughts.  
Sango let out a big sigh as she and Miroku arrived back at their place. "What are we going to do now?" she whined. "We can't practice by ourselves."  
Miroku smiled slyly. "No, but I can think of several things that a couple such as ourselves can do when they're alone together."  
Sango put on a disgusted expression, paused to think for a second, and then said, while shrugging, "Okay."  
Miroku frowned. "Oh, c'mon Sango!" he pleaded. "Don't you think that you've made me wait long enough?" He looked at Sango's blank expression, recalled the last thing that she said to him, smiled, and the two of them went into the bedroom.  
Miroku closed the door behind him, and as he turned around, Sango shoved a bucket of cleansing products into his hands. "Have fun," she winked, and left the room and a hurt expression on Miroku's face.  
  
With half the band gone, InuYasha and Kagome could spend more time together. So that's just what they did. They lay on the warm grass, looking up at the beautiful night sky. No clouds in sight at all. It was proving to be a peaceful, relaxing evening. Suddenly, however, Kagome sat up with a troubled expression on her face.  
"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked, sitting up. He put his arm around her.  
"It's just the band," Kagome sighed. "The competition is in about five months, and we haven't practiced at all."  
"We still have lots of time," InuYasha smiled. "Don't worry," he said, rubbing her shoulder gently. "We'll be ready."  
"And what about the ice army?" she asked meekly.  
InuYasha sighed. "That problem doesn't have a solution yet." He looked into Kagome's eyes and smiled. "But I'm sure we can figure it out." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  
"You're right," Kagome smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder. The two of them continued to look at the beautiful starry sky. Then Kagome yawned, and closed her eyes. InuYasha did the same, and the two of them lay back down.  
After a few minutes of sleep, Kagome was awakened by a strange sound. She opened her eyes and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she shrugged it off and went back to sleep. Then she bolted upright, waking InuYasha.  
"What's wrong now?" he asked.  
Kagome began to tremble. She looked around them and saw several hundred strands of black wire surrounded them. InuYasha sat up and looked around. He saw nothing.  
"Don't you see them?" Kagome asked. InuYasha just shrugged. She examined the strand closest to her and realized that it wasn't wire, but black hair.  
(Hair...?)  
"Oh my, oh me," a woman said from behind them. "What have we here? A cute little puppy and his master out for a walk?" A katana came out of nowhere and struck the area between InuYasha and Kagome, an area of about a few centimeters. They both turned their heads to see another familiar face.  
Sakasagami no Yura, the hair demon they had fought and defeated so long ago, had returned. She tugged the hair strand that was attached to the katana, and it returned to her.  
"It's so nice to see you again," she said. "I was afraid the last time we met would be the last time. I still want that gorgeous head of hair, dog-boy."  
InuYasha leapt to his feet. "Try and take it then!" he growled. Kagome grabbed his arm and pulled him down.  
"You don't have your sword with you," she hissed.  
"I don't need the Tetsusaiga to beat this hairdresser's nightmare," he snapped back.  
This made Yura smile. "The only reason you beat me last time was because I was careless." She stepped slowly towards them. "But I think I'm ready this time."  
InuYasha leapt to his feet again and told Kagome to hide, but she protested. "Look," InuYasha said flatly, "You can't fight in unarmed combat, so what I suggest is that you hide so that you don't get hurt."  
"Aww," Yura said, putting her hands up to the face. "Isn't that sweet? Dog-boy is trying to protect his bitch. Pity that I have to destroy you both." She dashed towards them and slashed at InuYasha. But she missed, as he and Kagome jumped backwards.  
"Look," InuYasha yelled at Kagome, "I don't have time for this! Go and hide somewhere! It won't take me long to destroy this demon anyways."  
Yura's expression changed to shock. "And just what makes you think that you can beat me?"  
"I did it before, didn't I?" he snapped back.  
Yura frowned. "What a rude little dog-boy," she said, waving her finger. "And I believe it was your little friend who actually defeated me. Without her, I would have cut you to ribbons."  
InuYasha scoffed. "Oh really? That sounds like a challenge to me." He leapt at her, spread his fingers and attempted to slash.  
"Challenge accepted," Yura smirked as she dodged the attack. She sent several strands towards her enemy and trapped him. "Remember," she taunted, "You can't see my hair, which makes this a lost battle for you." She floated over to him, until they were at eye level.  
His nose began to twitch. "You smell like ice," he said quietly.  
Yura smiled once again. "Gyouka brought me back to life," she whispered. "He's got other surprises in store for you as well. Pity you won't be around to see them." And with that, she thrust her katana into his chest.  
Kagome looked at this sight in horror. She ran over to them, but was blocked by a wall of hair.  
"Don't try to spoil my fun," Yura snapped at her. "Once I have collect his beautiful hair, yours will be next." She raised her katana to his neck, and prepared to cut his throat. 


	20. New Members of the Ice Army

Kagome looked at the sight before her in utter terror. If something wasn't done soon, InuYasha would be killed. And what was worse was the fact that neither of them had brought any weapons.  
"Don't worry your pretty little head of hair," Yura smiled wickedly. "I will try to make the cut as quick and painless as possible." She lifted her katana to his throat and started to slice. She managed to cut the first layer of his skin, but was stopped by an enchanted arrow that pierced her back. InuYasha and all the hair fell to the ground. Yura looked around and glared angrily. She spotted a figure holding a bow in front of it far off in the distance.  
(A decoy...?)  
She felt a sharp cut across the back of her left leg. She looked down to see that a long sword had cut it. She followed its twists and turns to its master: Jakotsu. He leapt up at her and slashed again with his sword. She managed to dodge it and sent more hair at him, entangling him.  
"How rude," Yura glowered. "That wasn't very nice."  
"What can I say," Jakotsu smirked. "I'm not a very nice person."  
Yura tugged on one of the strands of hair, causing the entire ball that encased him to constrict. As all this was going on, Kikyou, the one who had fired that arrow, was already helping InuYasha out of the tangle of hair. Kagome joined them.  
"What's going on here?" Kikyou demanded.  
"We're fighting a demon," InuYasha responded sarcastically. "And we were doing just fine until you girls showed up."  
Kikyou's face went red with rage. "This is the thanks I get for saving you?" she exclaimed.  
"Kikyou," Kagome said, "Let me handle this." There was a long pause, then the two words that InuYasha hated most: "Sit, boy!" He crashed to the ground. "Now," Kagome continued, "What do we say?"  
"Don't make me say it-"  
"What do we say?" she shouted angrily.  
"Thank you," InuYasha muttered under his breath.  
"There," Kikyou smiled. "Was that so hard?"  
"Excuse me," a voice called out of nowhere, "But would you guys mind HELPING ME?"  
They looked up to see Jakotsu suffocating in Yura's hairball. InuYasha smiled, leapt up and slashed at her. The shock of the attack caused the hairball to loosen, and Jakotsu was freed.  
"InuYasha!" Kagome called, "You and Jakotsu keep her at bay. Kikyou and I will find the comb and destroy it!"  
InuYasha nodded and looked over at Jakotsu. "Ready?" he smiled. Jakotsu returned the smile and nodded. Then the two of them rushed to Yura and began their counterattack. Meanwhile, Kagome and Kikyou searched for the red skull containing Yura's comb. Through the several hundred strands of hair they searched for it. But they couldn't find it.  
"Give up," Yura exclaimed, blocking the blows from InuYasha's claws and the Jakotsutou. "Neither one of you has the strength to beat me."  
"Then how is it we beat you before?" InuYasha said, slashing at the strands of hair between him and his enemy. The three combatants fought for a long amount of time as Kikyou and Kagome searched frantically for the red skull with the comb. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw it.  
"Kikyou," she shouted, "I found it!" She dashed to it and tried to break it open with a rock. Yura noticed this and sent waves of hair down at her. But InuYasha stopped her.  
"Your fight is with us," he said. He and Jakotsu leapt up and took turns slashing at her.  
Kagome continued to try to break the skull, but had no success. Kikyou ran up to her and shoved her to the side. "Let me handle this," she scoffed. She took one of her arrows and thrust it to the skull, shattering it. The comb on the other hand was not scratched at all.  
"Face it," Yura said with a sadistic smile, "You cannot beat me." She sent out a final wave of hair to her enemies and encased them. She immediately began to constrict. InuYasha and Jakotsu felt the pressure on their bodies and slowly started to suffocate.  
"We're running out of time," Kagome exclaimed. Kikyou looked up at the fight, tightened the grip on her arrow and slashed at the comb with it. It only grazed it slightly, but it was enough to make Yura stop her attack. She felt pain all throughout her body. She had been weakened.  
"Don't think this is over," she shouted as a hair strand snatched the comb from Kikyou's hand. And with that, she left.  
The boys fell to the ground. Only Jakotsu could stand back up. He ran over to InuYasha and noticed for the first time that he had been stabbed. He put his arm around him and helped him to his feet. "You okay?" he smiled sweetly.  
"Just peachy," InuYasha replied coldly. Kagome and Kikyou ran up to them.  
"Thanks for helping us," Kagome said. Jakotsu smiled and nodded.  
"She'll probably be back," Kikyou whispered. Then she looked at InuYasha and started laughing. "I honestly thought you would be able to take care of that demon by yourself."  
InuYasha gritted his teeth. "Actually, I could have. She is a weak demon after all."  
"A weak demon?" Kikyou smirked. "And even the both of you could barely hurt her."  
"We did a lot more damage to her than you ever could have," InuYasha exclaimed. Then, turning to Jakotsu, he said, "Am I right?"  
"Leave me out of this," Jakotsu whispered meekly.  
Kikyou and InuYasha continued arguing for a long time before anyone realized that he was actually very hurt. They decided to let it go for now, and take him back to the village.  
  
Yura hated the ice fortress. It was so cold and dark. But she had to go back there anyways. Only Gyouka could repair her scratched comb. She entered the courtyard and walked around the garden of dead trees. The Toukaibutsu were all at full strength now. The battle would begin soon. Their army lacked only one more ingredient...  
After spending a few minutes looking at the awful sight of decaying wood, she went into the main hall. There, she saw Shimoka and Frostbyte plotting something. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but it sounded like a sneak attack on someone.  
She then went to the long winding staircase that led to the overlook room. After climbing what seemed like a hundred flights, she arrived. The room was empty, save for one thing. Sekka sat at the window ledge, staring out into space.  
"Hey," Yura called out, "Have you seen Gyouka anywhere?"  
Sekka turned her head slowly. "Gyouka went out to revive more dead demons."  
"I see," Yura whispered. "When will he be back? I really need to see him."  
"Why?"  
Yura showed her the comb. Sekka took it, and without warning, blasted it with a ball of ice. Yura tried to stop it, but when she didn't feel any pain from it, she became intrigued.  
Sekka handed the comb back to her. It had gone from red to an icy blue. "There," she smirked, "All fixed."  
"Thank you," Yura said, examining the comb. "But what did you do to it?"  
Sekka smiled. "I improved it. You'll see the next time you go into battle."  
Yura sat down on the other end of the window ledge and looked down at the courtyard. She saw Naraku and his offspring enter, as well as Fuyuka, Icehaken and the wolves, Shimoka, Frostbyte and the Yukikyuu. Without any signs of warning, they all began a free-for-all battle. Yura glanced over at Sekka, who was smiling wickedly.  
"My bet's on Shimoka," she whispered.  
"What are they doing?" Yura asked.  
"A training session," a voice said from behind them. Gyouka had returned with two new demons, but they were still downstairs. "I would like to introduce the two newest members of this army of ours." He pointed his hand to the direction of the door, but no one came. Yura looked over at Sekka, who just shrugged.  
"I said," Gyouka called out, "I would like to introduce the two newest members of-"  
"We heard you the first time!" a young male voice called from the door. Yura, Sekka and Gyouka listened carefully to the conversation between the two demons.  
"I can't go in there like this," a deep male voice said.  
"Don't worry about it," the younger voice comforted.  
"But there's two beautiful women in there, and they'll think I'm ugly."  
"No we won't!" Yura called out.  
Sekka decided to join in the persuading. "Come on! We don't have all goddamn day!"  
The demons entered the room. No one else there would recognize them, but InuYasha, Kagome and Shippou would. They were the Thunder Brothers: Hiten and Manten.  
"Now," Yura said, "Why would you think that we would think that you are ugly?"  
Hiten stared at her with a blank face, but Manten pointed to his head and said, "Because I don't have any hair."  
Yura smiled. "Well," she chuckled, "As it turns out, I am a hair demon. I can help with this little problem..."  
Sekka leapt to her feet, ran over to Hiten, grabbed his arm, and with a big smile said, "This one's mine!" 


	21. Ginmushimaru

Technology was slowly becoming very advanced in the world. The invention of electricity had made lives much easier. Television, video games, household appliances and other gadgets were becoming very beneficial to people's lives. However, many people had become completely dependant on these gizmos, which was rather unfortunate for them.  
Ginkotsu was a prime example of this. He had become completely dependant on his cybernetic implants in order to survive. However, they were used to his advantage. Chains, saws and other sharp weapons made his fighting skills extremely advanced. And when InuYasha blew his body apart, forcing him to be turned into a tank, his skills increased yet again. He was now able to carry several people across great distances and was also a great backup unit.  
A German scientist by the name of Silberinsekt had the idea to put implants onto demons to make them stronger. They then could be used as dangerous bio-weapons that could turn enemies to dust. So he hired a team to go and capture a demon that they could use as a guinea pig. The team found a mantis demon and very easily captured it and brought it back to Silberinsekt.  
He began his work immediately. On the mantis's right arm, he installed a scythe made of pure silver, and on its left arm, he mounted a flame throwing cannon. He completely reconstructed its lower body, putting silver plating on it, making its legs a lot stronger and sharper to inflict more damage. On the end of its tail, a sharp spike was placed. Finally, a metallic helmet was placed on its head, improving its vision and giving it targeting abilities.  
The only problem with this new cybernetic mantis, which Silberinsekt named Ginmushimaru, was that it could not be controlled. It went on a wild rampage, killing Silberinsekt and his team, and destroying their laboratory and equipment. It then went in search of new victims to shred to pieces with its newly acquired attachments.  
  
Now completely up-to-date on all the events that had happened while they were gone, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu, with the added company of Suikotsu, set off for home. In the late evening, Ginkotsu was transporting the others, as they were tired of walking.  
Suikotsu had failed to realize just how far he had actually gone. He was really starting to miss home, and especially Kikyou. Now that he had had all this time to collect his thoughts, he decided it would be best to try to start things up with her again. The only problem was that he was here, and she was way over there.  
"Don't worry," Ginkotsu said. "It won't take us long to get home."  
"I know," Suikotsu said. "But I still can't wait. It's been so long since I last saw her."  
"It has been one month," Kyoukotsu said rolling his eyes. "That is not long time."  
Suikotsu looked up at him. "Isn't it?" he said flatly.  
Kyoukotsu didn't answer. The three of them were silent for a long time. Finally, after a lifetime of not speaking or making a sound, Ginkotsu noticed a village up ahead.  
"We will stay there to regain strength," he said, breaking the silence. He drove up to the front gate and parked. Suikotsu and Kyoukotsu dismounted and walked into the village. They came to a modest little inn and asked for a room. The innkeeper took one look at Kyoukotsu and thought that if he didn't give them a room, he'd be ripped to pieces.  
As Suikotsu and Kyoukotsu prepared to go to sleep, Ginkotsu, still outside, sensed something coming their way. The feeling eventually left him and he shut himself down for his version of sleep.  
  
A few kilometers from that little village, another village was preparing for sleep as well. Unfortunately, however, it would not come. With no means of warning whatsoever, fire rained down and burned most of the houses to the ground. People panicked and ran around like idiots trying to escape the attack.  
Then, from the sky, Ginmushimaru dived and crashed into the center of the village, killing the many innocent people in its way. It rose from the massive crater that it had just made, and looked around. What it saw gave it great pleasure: houses were burning to the ground, dead bodies were laying in the streets, survivors were crying for their losses.  
It continued to level the village, killing people in horrible ways. When it was finally over, nothing was left except a few charred corpses, a few decimated houses, and one little boy who had lived to see it all before him. Thinking that its task was complete, Ginmushimaru took flight and went in search of another poor village to suffer the same fate.  
The boy, who was named Hamaya, could just barely stand to his feet. Seeing what he saw left him completely traumatized, but he knew he had to find someone to help him. He knew of a village close to what was left of his. Maybe he could find help there...  
  
Clouds covered the morning sky, which meant only one thing: yet more snow. Kyoukotsu had fallen dead asleep, and still was. But Suikotsu couldn't even close his eyes. He sat at the window and looked out it all night, thinking about one thing. All he wanted right at that moment was to be with Kikyou.  
He continued to stare off into space, but when something obstructed his vision, he leapt to his feet. He saw a young boy walking up to the front gates. He wore a green top with light red pants. His short purple hair fell in front of his face and blocked his eyes from view. All his clothes had been torn almost to shreds.  
Suikotsu dashed outside to meet the boy and make sure he was okay. "What happened?" he exclaimed, but got no response. "Come on," he said, giving the boy his hand, "We should get you inside." The boy took Suikotsu's hand and one more step, and then collapsed to the ground. Suikotsu quickly picked him up and carried him inside.  
A few hours later, the boy opened his eyes. He sat upright and looked around the room, which started to spin. This led to a terrible headache, so he lay back down. He noticed that all his wounds had been bandaged up, and besides his throbbing head, he felt okay.  
At that moment, Suikotsu entered the room with a tray of food. "Ah," he said, putting the tray down on the dresser beside the bed, "You're awake. I brought you something to eat."  
"Thank you," the boy said, diving right into the tray.  
"What's your name?"  
"Hamaya," the boy responded in between mouthfuls of food.  
"What happened to you last night?"  
Hamaya stopped eating. He looked straight into Suikotsu's eyes, and then began to cry. "It was horrible," he muttered between sobs. "A giant robotic insect demon destroyed my village, and..." He could not bring himself to tell the rest.  
"We will find insect and destroy it," Kyoukotsu grunted as he walked into the room. "We have not fought any demons for long time, so practice is much needed."  
The boy tried to get out of the bed, but Suikotsu stopped him. "You need all the rest you can get. Don't worry about the demon; we'll take care of it. Try to go back to sleep." The boy nodded and conked out quickly.  
"Come on, Kyoukotsu," Suikotsu said, standing up. "We have a bug to squish."  
"Finally!" Kyoukotsu exclaimed, cracking his knuckles. However, they didn't have much time to prepare to meet up with the mantis demon that destroyed Hamaya's village. Almost the very second they stepped through the inn's door, the saw it. It was a rather ghastly sight, too. It had already begun its work on this village.  
"Stop it!" Suikotsu commanded to his colleagues. He equipped his claws and dashed to the demon. Ginkotsu aimed his cannons at it and sent out a blast. However, Ginmushimaru was too quick. It came down on Ginkotsu with its mechanical scythe. Ginkotsu was not harmed much, but he did take some damage.  
Now with the demon close to the ground, the three members of the Shichinin-tai had the upper hand. Kyoukotsu wrapped his arms around it and squeezed it. But it would not give up so easily. It powered up a blast from the cannon on its arm and shot it right in Kyoukotsu's face. Now free, Ginmushimaru took wing and hovered just out of their reach again.  
"This isn't going well," Suikotsu muttered. Ginmushimaru then started to blast the houses. Ginkotsu took immediate action to this and blasted a spread shot in the air. Not a one blast hit the target.  
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "If we could just get it to the ground..." He decided to try one more shot. He aimed his chainsaw at it, and fired away. The saw sliced through one of its wings, but it still wasn't enough to bring it to the ground.  
"Try again," Kyoukotsu bellowed, as he ripped a tree from out of the ground and tried to toss it at Ginmushimaru. He let go of the tree and sent it flying to his target. However, it was sliced in half by the silver scythe. Ginkotsu used this precise moment to attack its other wing. One more saw, one more slice. Both the demon's wings had now been cut to the point where they could no longer support it in the air. It was grounded.  
However, Ginmushimaru would not allow itself to be beaten. It growled loudly and aimed its cannon at the inn where Hamaya was sleeping. It prepared to blast a giant ball of fire at it, which would burn it, and all inside, to the ground. 


	22. The Battle Plan

Ginmushimaru would not allow itself to be beaten by these humans and their tank. So it aimed its cannon at the inn where Hamaya, the little boy, was sleeping. It prepared to blast a giant ball of fire at it, which would burn it to the ground.  
Suikotsu had to act fast. He could not let this monster hurt any more innocent people. "Ginkotsu!" he called out, running over to the big tank, "Get ready to blast the demon on my mark!"  
"What are you thinking?" Ginkotsu asked as Suikotsu jumped on his cannon.  
"No time for questions!" Suikotsu exclaimed. "Fire!" Without realizing it, Ginkotsu fired him through the air. He latched onto Ginmushimaru's head with his claws, and sliced a huge gash across its eyes. It growled in pain and anger, and then swung its scythe frantically at its enemy. Because it was no longer able to see, it couldn't tell where the enemy was.  
Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu used this to their advantage. Kyoukotsu grabbed Ginmushimaru, preventing it from being able to move, and Ginkotsu blasted it with his most powerful attack. The blast hit Ginmushimaru, blowing it to pieces, and sent Kyoukotsu flying to the other side of the village. He stood up, brushed some dirt off his shoulders, and chuckled.  
"Piece of cake," he smirked.  
"Suikotsu," Ginkotsu called out, "Now that our task is complete, I suggest that we continue for home."  
Suikotsu breathed in heavily. "It's gonna be hard saying goodbye to that kid."  
"Why?" Kyoukotsu asked. "You only known him for little time."  
"But that creature attacked his village," Suikotsu explained. "I have a feeling that he has no one left to take care of him."  
"Then put him with somebody here," Ginkotsu suggested.  
"I'll go talk to him," Suikotsu sighed. He went back into the inn to talk with Hamaya. He found him looking out the window, where he would have seen the whole battle.  
"So what happens to me now?" he whispered. He turned around and looked at Suikotsu. "The monster's gone, but what of me?"  
"I'm sure someone in this village will look after you," Suikotsu answered. He looked at the boy's sad expression and decided to cave in. "Or would you rather come with us?"  
Hamaya smiled and leapt to his feet. "Really?" he exclaimed excitedly. Suikotsu nodded. The two of them joined Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu outside.  
"Oh no," Ginkotsu whined, "We're not taking him with us... are we?" Suikotsu smiled and nodded. Then the three of them climbed aboard Ginkotsu, and they drove off for home.  
  
"We will attack at dusk," Shimoka said to Frostbyte. The two of them were sitting in the main hall of the ice fortress, surrounded by all the cute little Yukikyuu demons. "With the wind witch out of our way," he continued, "the only ones that will give us any trouble will be the dog and his collies."  
"Don't you mean 'colleagues'?" Frostbyte corrected.  
"Not really," Shimoka said with a straight face.  
"Wow," Frostbyte said with a monotone pitch, "Shimoka made a funny. I should write this down." Just then, the door to the chamber swung open. Yura and Manten had just returned from their first date. "Welcome back," Frostbyte said, getting up to greet them. "How was it?"  
"The date?" Yura asked, a little annoyed that this woman whom she didn't even know was prying into her personal life. "Who wants to know?"  
"I do," Frostbyte exclaimed.  
"You don't need to know about my sex life," Yura answered angrily. "Come on, Manten." The two of them disappeared into the courtyard.  
Frostbyte scoffed. "That's the thing I like about Sekka," she said. "She doesn't leave out any details."  
Shimoka rolled his eyes. "That's for sure," he muttered. "Yura and Manten's first date, they go out for a romantic lunch. Sekka and Hiten's first date, they-"  
"Do something much more fun," Frostbyte smiled. "Now, in regards to this attack on Kagura... Do we have to kill her?"  
"Why?" Shimoka asked. "What do you want to do with her?" There was pause, as Frostbyte knew that Shimoka knew the answer to that question. "Ah," he said at last, "Indeed." He then decided that it would be best to leave it at that.  
Meanwhile, at the top of the ice tower, KooriKisaki and Naraku were forming a battle plan.  
"Do you really expect this to work?" she asked him. He nodded. "It's not that it isn't a good plan," she continued, "It's just, I think it's missing some important details."  
"Like what, exactly?" he asked coldly.  
"Like," she said, "Like how you are going to get them to fight each other."  
"That's where I come in," Sekka exclaimed as she burst through the door. "Urasue and I have devised a plan to get InuYasha and his group against that Kikyou woman and hers."  
"They already ran it by me," Naraku said. "It's fool proof, providing we don't let a fool mess it up."  
"Don't worry," Sekka smiled, "I won't let Hiten any where near them. Speaking of which..." she trailed off, and left the room to go find him.  
(I'm a little thirsty... Now, where did he go...?)  
"So anyways," the ice queen continued, "You're sure they'll go for it?"  
"Yes," Naraku smiled. "When it comes to trickery and betrayal, I am the king."  
"Indeed," KooriKisaki said, rolling her eyes. "Make sure it goes off without a hitch. With them gone, I shall be free to obtain all of the shards of the Shikon Jewel."  
"We."  
"What?"  
"You mean 'we shall be free to obtain the shards'."  
"Ah," KooriKisaki smiled, "Of course that's what I meant..."  
  
What Kagura couldn't understand most about guys was why did they always have to channel surf? Why could they not just pick a program and watch it? She could easily find something to watch out of 200 channels of pure garbage, why couldn't they? She shook the thought off with a scoff. The truth was that she actually was lonely. Kanna, Kohaku and Hakudoushi had gone off to perform for the emperor  
(for some reason)  
and had left her alone.  
She took in a deep breath and turned the television off. "A walk," she said aloud. "That'll clear my head."  
She put on her boots and coat and went for her walk. The night was cold, but it was a nice cold; a light breeze, not like the insane weather they had been having lately. Kagura guessed that it must be the work of the ice demons and their queen.  
So many different things had been happening all at once lately. The ice demons trying to take over the world, Naraku's sudden disappearance, and her feelings for Kouga that still went unnoticed.  
"Tonight," she whispered, "I should tell him." She decided to walk to his cave to see if he was home. If he was, she would tell him. If not, she would try to find him and then tell him. Either way, she thought, he'll know tonight.  
Memories of their gruesome past came back to her. She did all sorts of evil things to him, and she realized that he probably would not return her feelings. But she didn't care; she just wanted him to at least know.  
She came to the forest that Kouga's cave was in. She still had a ways to go, though, and the snow prevent her from going any faster. She didn't want to use her feathers because she didn't want to draw any attention to herself. What she didn't realize, however, was two beings were trying to do the same.  
Far behind her, Shimoka and Frostbyte hid in the tree branches. "Where do you think she's going?" Frostbyte asked.  
"Only one way to find out," Shimoka whispered. The two of them then jumped from branch to branch, following their prey. 


	23. Kagura's Feelings

Not much further now. Soon she would be at his cave, and she would finally be able to tell him her feelings. Unfortunately, Kouga's cave was still a ways away, and two pursuers were hot on Kagura's trail. She felt the wind chill. She stopped walking and turned around to see what was causing it. She saw nothing but darkness between the trees.  
She decided to keep walking. Her heart began to pound rapidly, and her breath came out in quick gasps. She began to walk more rapidly; she was sure something was following her. Her walk turned into a jog, and then a full out sprint. The ice demons had to hurry to catch up with her.  
"Now!" Shimoka exclaimed. He and Frostbyte jumped down from the trees, revealing themselves to Kagura.  
"Oh god," she muttered, "What do you want?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Frostbyte smirked. "I want you."  
Kagura scoffed. "Well sorry to disappoint, but I have somewhere that I need to be, so if you would just excuse me-"  
Shimoka blocked Kagura's exit with his sword. "You are not going anywhere," Frostbyte said with a smile full of wicked lust. "Except with me." She lunged at her love, and struck her right on her face. "And if I have to take you by force, I will."  
Kagura quickly regained her balance, but met another blow in the face. After gaining her balance again, she brandished her trusty fan and prepared to blow a gust of wind to send these annoying creatures back to where ever it was they came from. She waved it at them with precise movement, but they both jumped out of the way. Shimoka landed behind her, and Frostbyte landed to her left.  
"Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Frostbyte said. "I would really hate it if something bad happened to you."  
Kagura grimaced. Then her grimace turned into a scowl.  
(This must be my punishment for all the times I made fun of InuYasha when he was hit on by Jakotsu...)  
With a flick of her wrist, she caused a great gust of wind that shook the trees around them, and even made the closest ones uproot a little. She was not going to play their little game, and the sooner they lost, the better. But they did not even flinch. They were determined to rid themselves of this threat. Japan would be covered in endless winter, and no wind witch or her annoying friends were going to stop them.  
"You might as well give up," Frostbyte said. "We out number you after all."  
"Only in your minds," Kagura smiled. She waved her fan one more time and created a vortex. "I'm through playing. Witness my Dance of the Dragon!" The vortex crashed through the trees, blowing them to pieces, heading straight for her enemies.  
All of this commotion caught the attention of a patrolling wolf from Kouga's tribe. It dashed back to its cave to inform its master of the disturbances in their forest.  
"Your wind attacks are amusing," Frostbyte called out, canceling the wind with an ice blast, "But as you can see, they are no match for our ice magic!" She created a miniature icicle and threw it like a dart at Kagura's fan. It shredded through it as if it was nothing.  
Shimoka then used this time of Kagura's shock and confusion to his advantage. He leapt in the air and brought his sword down on his victim. He did not want to kill her, so he only brought the blunt side of it down, in order to knock her out. He struck but he didn't knock her out. She fell to the ground, holding her head in her hands.  
"Be careful with her," Frostbyte warned. She walked over to Kagura and knelt beside her. "You're mine now," she smiled wickedly. She put her hand on her head and stroked it gently. Then she whispered into her ear, "And don't you forget it."  
Kagura had had enough at this point. Without thinking, she grabbed a hand full of dirt and flung it into Frostbyte's eyes. As her enemy fell backwards in pain and shock, she quickly stood to her feet. Shimoka glowered and dashed to her with his sword out in front. He slashed at her repeatedly. She just barely dodged each attack. Things then began to go extremely wrong for her. Pinned against a tree now with Shimoka's sword inches from her nose. She was too weak from that last attack to defend herself.  
Shimoka inched his sword closer to her face. "I really don't want to do this," he said. "Frostbyte really does love you, and I wouldn't want to do anything to hurt her."  
And with one thrust of the sword, it was all over. Kagura wondered why she hadn't felt anything, so she opened her eyes and looked down to the ground. Shimoka lay dead at her feet. She looked up to see Kouga standing in front of her, Shimoka's blood on his sword.  
"Are you okay?" he asked. But Kagura couldn't find the strength to answer. She started to collapse, but he caught her. "Just rest," he said, gently putting her down, "I'll take care of that ice wench."  
Frostbyte, who had recovered from that little dirt incident, wasn't amused at all. She glanced at her dead partner and filled to the brim with rage. And what was worse was the fact that an unimpressive cub did this. However, no little wolf boy was going to ruin this battle. She would avenge the fallen Shimoka by killing this mutt, and then take Kagura back to the ice fortress with her. She dashed to Kagura, in the hopes of blindsiding Kouga, but she wasn't prepared for his speed. In a matter of seconds, she had already been beaten.  
"I suggest that you get outta here," Kouga warned. "Unless you wanna end up like your friend."  
Frostbyte scowled and decided to accept the fact that this battle was lost. But the war would not end yet. She created an ice barrier around herself and teleported back to the ice fortress to tell the others of the bad news.  
"Piece of cake," Kouga said triumphantly. He ran back over to Kagura to make sure Death hadn't claimed her yet.  
[Death was busy looking over the shopping list that his mom had given him. Oh man, he thought, I don't have time for this; I need to be out working! He looked at his watch and groaned angrily; great, I missed another appointment!]  
Kagura had regained consciousness and witnessed the entire fight. Granted, it wasn't much of a fight, seeing as it was all over in a matter of seconds, but still. Now she had the perfect chance to tell him how she felt. "Kouga," she began, "I-"  
"You hungry?" he interrupted. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." He started to walk away, leaving Kagura with a blank expression on her face. Then he turned around and said, "Well? You comin'?"  
"Umm... yes?" And with that, the two of them walked to the nearest WacDnoald's, and Kagura still had that blank expression on her face.  
  
It was the beginnings of a very cozy night in Kikyou's village. Everyone had fallen off to sleep, except for a few farmers who had to make some last minute runs to their barns. As they were sorting out the last of the day's problems, they saw a shadow move across the sky. They assumed it was just a cloud, and continued with their work.  
But it was not a cloud. It was a demon: Urasue, the ogress. Sekka had sent her on a mission, and she intended to carry it out. When the farmers had gone back to sleep, and all the village's lights had been turned off, she began her work. She floated through the wall of Kikyou's house, and remained in her shadowed form, so as not to be detected.  
She hovered above the bed where Kikyou was sleeping. She looked around. No one was in the room with them. She smiled wickedly, and from her being, another shadow emerged. The shadow then took on a familiar form. Those familiar dog- ears, those familiar golden eyes, and those familiar fangs and claws.  
  
"One down, one to go," Urasue said aloud. "Then we can begin to do some real damage." She cackled evilly as she entered InuYasha's village. All the lights were out here, too. As well as the fact that everyone was asleep. Perfect. She snuck into InuYasha's house in the same way she had snuck into Kikyou's. Hovering above Kagome, she released another shadow. It took on another familiar form. The blue butterfly hairpiece, the red lipstick, the light blue stripes coming down from the eyes and onto the cheeks and the sword that could uncoil like the body of a snake. 


	24. Mysterious Assailants

The WacDnoald's restaurant was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This was very fortunate as it was about one o'clock Tuesday morning. It seemed that Kouga had developed a case of the munchies when he fought and defeated Shimoka and Frostbyte. So he and Kagura, who was on the verge of death, headed to the fast food joint to get some burgers.  
They sat across from each other. They were the only two customers in the entire building. Kagura had a simple salad, and Kouga had about a dozen different burgers. One thought crossed Kagura's mind as she watched him eat.  
(What, are we suddenly in DBZ?)  
The night was obviously not going to go anywhere, so Kagura decided that she should just go home. But as she stood up to leave, Kouga stopped her. "I don't think you should go back out there," he said.  
"You don't expect me to stay here all night, do you?" she snapped.  
Kouga smiled. "Of course not. I think that you should spend the night at my cave." When he realized that what he just said implied something totally uncalled for, he tried to cover it up with stuttering jumbles of words, of which did little good. But he did make her laugh, which was a good thing. At least she still could...  
"You're right," she said. Then she decided now would be the best time to tell him how she felt about him. Unfortunately she couldn't find the best words, so she just simplified it to, "Thank you."  
Kouga looked up at her with a mouthful of WacBurger, chewed, swallowed, and said, "No problem. Those ice demons weren't exactly what they made themselves out to be."  
"No," she said, taking his hands in hers, "I meant thank you for everything." Kouga was confused. He didn't quite understand what she was talking about. Maybe that attack by the ice demons left her a little...  
"You're welcome," he said, smiling. "Are you full?" She nodded. "Then come on, we should get back home and get some sleep." He finished his last burger and he carried her back to the cave.  
  
The morning came incredibly slowly for InuYasha and his friends. Last night had traumatized them greatly. Screams of pain had come from Kagome's room at around midnight. InuYasha dashed at near the speed of light to her aid, but it was already too late. She lay in bed, cut up pretty badly. Her assailant had already left by the time he had gotten there.  
InuYasha and Miroku were sitting in the emergency waiting room of the hospital, waiting for the others to arrive. The doctors said that Kagome would survive, and that she was very lucky to have been brought to the hospital as fast as she had. But InuYasha still felt incredibly guilty that he wasn't there to protect her.  
"Don't feel so bad," Miroku comforted. "It was just a freak accident. And besides, the doctors say that she'll be fine."  
"But what if she hadn't survived?" InuYasha said so quietly that Miroku almost couldn't hear him. "What if her attacker had killed her?" His friend couldn't answer his question. "When I find who did this to her," he continued, "I will slaughter him."  
"Killing her attacker won't set things right," Miroku warned. "You should stop being so rash. It will end up really screwing you over."  
"I don't care!" InuYasha exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and drawing attention from the nurses and other patients. "Kagome could've died last night, and I will not rest until her attacker has been stopped!"  
"Although your intentions seem good, they will not improve Kagome's condition. I suggest that you take a more calm approach to this." InuYasha glared at Miroku. He couldn't understand why he was against shedding the blood of the monster that did this to poor Kagome. She was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of life preserving equipment, probably dying, and the doctors wouldn't even know it...  
"I know you're upset," Miroku said, breaking the straining silence between them. "But you must calm yourself down before you make a move on this attacker."  
"You're right," InuYasha said, sitting down. "Miroku, I'm sorry for yelling at you."  
"It's completely understandable."  
At that moment, more of their friends arrived. Shippou and the rest of Kagura's band had come back from their little concert with the emperor early that morning. Kanna, Kohaku and Hakudoushi had already gone back to their home, and were shocked to find no one there. Sango, Shippou, Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru arrived at the hospital.  
"How is she?" Sango asked.  
Miroku got up and walked over to her. "She's okay," he explained. "At least that's what the doctors say. She was beat up pretty badly."  
The nurse came in, and told them that they could see Kagome now. So the six of them went into her room, and as InuYasha had suspected, she was hooked up to all sorts of life support systems. Her blood pressure was being monitored; her heartbeat was being recorded. The sight was almost too much for him to handle.  
Kagome opened her eyes. Seeing these familiar faces overflowed her with emotions. She began to tear up as InuYasha took a seat at her side. He put his hand on her cheek, and stroked it gently. "Hey," he smiled, "How's it goin'?"  
She could barely bring herself to speak, but she had to. InuYasha and the rest of her friends had to know the horrible truth as to who did this to her. "My attacker," she stuttered, but InuYasha silenced her.  
"Let's not worry about that now," he said. But Kagome was really stubborn when it came to these sorts of things.  
"But, I have to tell you," she whispered in a pitch so low that only the demons in the room could hear her. "It was," she stopped. She couldn't bring herself to say it. But she had to. "It was..."  
  
"Jakotsu!" Bankotsu yelled. "Come on!" Jakotsu, who was busy ogling the models on the health posters, was suddenly yanked out of his thoughts by his friend. "The nurse says we can see Kikyou now."  
Kikyou had had a similar night to that of Kagome. A mysterious attacker had come in and almost killed her. The entire village had been left in an uproar. Kikyou was, after all, a sort of celebrity in her little village. She was rushed to the emergency room and treated immediately. If she had not gotten there in the time that she had, she would have certainly died.  
The doctors who had treated her wounds had also made an interesting discovery. For the past few weeks Kikyou had been really moody for no good reason, and was often sick in the morning. Bankotsu and Jakotsu just brushed it off as stress or the flu. However, Renkotsu and Mukotsu were a little more in tune with their surroundings. It was just as they had thought.  
Jakotsu and Bankotsu entered Kikyou's room. She was hooked up to life support systems in a similar way to Kagome, but her condition was far more critical. They took seats on either side of her and waited for the doctor to bring them the news.  
"She looks so calm," Jakotsu whispered. "It's really creepy."  
Bankotsu chuckled, "I know what you mean. She's not yelling at us, so you know something's wrong." His forced smile finally gave way.  
"Don't worry," Jakotsu comforted. "She'll be okay. I bet this is just another day for her."  
"You're probably right." Bankotsu sighed. "She's definitely a fighter..." He trailed off.  
It was that moment the doctor showed up. "Which one of you is Jakotsu?" he asked. When he got his answer, he gave a little shudder, but quickly disguised it as a shiver.  
"Smooth," Jakotsu muttered. "So is she going to be okay?"  
The doctor smiled. "She's going to be fine,"  
"Then what's this 'news' that's so important?" Bankotsu inquired.  
The doctor's smile grew wider. "This is the part of the job I like the most." He took Jakotsu's hand, shook it, and said, "Congratulations."  
Jakotsu just stared at him with a blank face. "What do you mean, 'congratulations'?"  
"I mean," the doctor said, still with that goofy grin on his face, "Congratulations on yours and Kikyou's new child."  
Jakotsu's eye began to twitch. "You mean," he stuttered, and pointed to Kikyou. The doctor nodded, and Jakotsu fainted dead away. Bankotsu, however, still hadn't pieced everything together. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, and he went down for the count as well. The doctor just continued to smile.  
(Can't wait to see what Kikyou'll think about this...) 


	25. Amor e Morte

Miroku ran the occurrences of the past few weeks over and over in his mind, looking for one single incident that would make Jakotsu attack Kagome like that. But he could find nothing, and he new that Jakotsu wouldn't do anything to hurt InuYasha. It just didn't make sense.  
He wasn't the only member of OmegaNihon who felt this way. Sango, Shippou, Sesshoumaru, Juuroumaru and even Kagome couldn't believe what had happened. Unfortunately, InuYasha did not feel this way at all. He never liked Jakotsu and was always looking for a slip up. Last night, that slip up had occurred. Blood would be shed very soon...  
  
Kikyou had regained consciousness, and told everyone about what had happened that night. She said that it was InuYasha who had done this to her. And much like OmegaNihon with their problem, most of Kikyou's band didn't believe he would do this. Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Mukotsu were absolutely flabbergasted.  
Jakotsu on the other hand, saw things a little differently. InuYasha could have killed Kikyou, and he could have killed the unborn child that she was carrying. Even if he didn't love Kikyou, he would want to be with his child. That almost would have never happened. Despite his feelings for him, InuYasha would pay...  
  
As soon as the news of the attack had reached Kanna and her little clique, they rushed to the hospital to check up on Kagome. Tsuyu and Nobunaga, who had gotten over his cold, were there to meet them.  
"What is going on?" Kanna asked Nobunaga.  
"I'm not sure," he answered. "It seems that Kagome was attacked last night by Jakotsu."  
"What?" Kohaku exclaimed. "That doesn't make any..." He trailed off because something had bit him. He slapped his neck and the flat body of a flea floated into his hand.  
"Why do you people always have to do that to me?" the flea, Myouga, exclaimed as he returned himself to normal.  
"You always seem to recover," Kohaku muttered. "Do you know anything about this?"  
Myouga shook his head. "For once, I don't have the answers. It just doesn't make-"  
"Any sense," Hakudoushi finished for him, "Yes we already know that. But I bet the ice demons have something to do with it."  
The six of them went into the hospital and asked the clerk where Kagome's room was. Once they had obtained their information, they went to her room. InuYasha, Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru were nowhere in sight, but Miroku, Sango and Shippou were staying by Kagome's side. Kohaku went to his sister's side and asked her if Kagome was going to be all right.  
"She'll be okay," Sango answered. But she didn't say anything else. Kohaku didn't need to ask what she was thinking about. He could easily put two and two together.  
"What do you think InuYasha's going to do?" he whispered. Again, she didn't answer.  
  
"I'm gonna kill him!" InuYasha exclaimed. He, Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru were walking around outside the hospital, trying to clear their heads. It wasn't working.  
"Calm down," Sesshoumaru said. "Killing Jakotsu is not going to make anything any better." All he got for a response was a muttered 'feh'. "I see," he sighed, "I still think you should sit down and think this through a little more."  
InuYasha smiled. "I will," he said. "Right after I beat the shit outta Jakotsu."  
As the two brothers continued to argue, Juuroumaru began to feel a little uneasy. It was almost as if something was watching them. He glanced around the grounds, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He had been feeling weird for the past few days, and he couldn't tell why. It was as if something was trying to get into his mind.  
(Naraku...)  
But was it really Naraku, and if it so, why? As far as everyone was concerned, Naraku was at home, doing stuff... Juuroumaru stopped walking. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Naraku around lately at all.  
(Meh, good riddance.)  
But still, as glad as he was that Naraku had suddenly vanished, he still had a nagging suspicion that Naraku might be with the...  
"Alright!" InuYasha exclaimed, breaking Juuroumaru free of his thoughts. "I'll leave him alone!"  
"Good," Sesshoumaru said. "We'll sort this out later. But for now we should go see how Kagome is doing."  
"You're right." The three of them headed back into the hospital, each thinking about something completely different than the others.  
  
(I don't care what Sesshoumaru says... Jakotsu hurt Kagome, and now it's his turn to feel pain.)  
At a little less than an hour before dusk, InuYasha got ready to go over to Kikyou's village to pay them a surprise visit. He grabbed the Tetsusaiga, and ever so quietly, left his home. No one heard him leave. No one saw him leave. He ran swiftly through the forest that separated their villages. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.  
("Killing her attacker won't set things right," Miroku warned. "You should stop being so rash. It will end up really screwing you over.")  
He snarled at that very thought. What did Miroku know anyways? Compared to even a half demon, Jakotsu was nothing. This'll be a piece of cake. Still though, a thought of letting this go lingered in the back of his mind. Unfortunately, he was too hotheaded and mad to even give it a try.  
Almost through the forest now, he smelled a familiar scent, the scent of a human. He gritted his teeth. It seemed that Jakotsu had somehow known about this, and was waiting there to meet him. What he didn't realize, however, was that Jakotsu's ideas were no different from his own.  
They gasped when they saw each other. Neither one of them really had thought this out far enough. It all seemed like a weird nightmare. But would it end? Would either of them wake up? InuYasha smiled wickedly. One of them would definitely enter that eternal sleep; that was for damn sure.  
Talk was quick and effortless. Neither one of them would give the other a chance to explain anything. Rage clouded their reasoning abilities quite well. InuYasha tightened his grip on the Tetsusaiga and rushed at Jakotsu. Their swords struck each other with a loud crashing sound that send a flock of birds fleeing in terror to the sky.  
Jakotsu jumped back. With a flick of his wrist, his sword uncoiled and struck the ground right under InuYasha's feet. He just scoffed and rushed to his opponent again. He lifted the Tetsusaiga over his head and swung it down to try to hit Jakotsu over his head. But he missed. Jakotsu flung his sword up and struck InuYasha's hand, causing him to release his sword from his grip. The Tetsusaiga landed just out of immediate reach.  
"Feh," InuYasha smirked, "I don't need my sword to kill you. I'll just use my own claws."  
"You do that," Jakotsu smirked back. He dashed towards the dog demon and struck his arm with his sword. However, InuYasha didn't even flinch. Instead, he just scoffed and slashed at Jakotsu with his claws. He was flung back and upon hitting the ground, the Jakotsutou released from his grip. "Shit," he muttered as he struggled back to his feet.  
With this split second to spare, InuYasha made a mad run to his sword and picked it up, and then dashed to his opponent, who had also gotten back his sword. The two swords clashed yet again, and again Jakotsu was flung back by the force of InuYasha's swing.  
The hanyou leapt into the air and landed on his opponent, his sword inches from his face. If it had not been for his quick thinking, Jakotsu would have been done for. All he had to do to get InuYasha off of him was blow him a kiss. He jumped off of him in disgust.  
(Don't let him trick you like that again...)  
He growled and made another dash to Jakotsu. All his attacks seemed to be nothing but charging and brutal assaults. He wasn't thinking clearly anymore. But he didn't care. As long as he could keep this up, he'd win for sure. Jakotsu was showing signs of weakening. This battle was in the bag.  
InuYasha slashed wildly at his opponent, clashing against his sword, and even cutting his arm. A few more attacks like that was all he needed. Fate, on the other hand, was apparently quite fed up with the half demon. The sun went down behind the mountains, and the moon had risen. He could feel his strength leaving him.  
"What's wrong, InuYasha?" Jakotsu taunted. "Don't tell me you're giving up already."  
InuYasha looked at his hands. His claws were becoming smaller. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw his hair grow darker in color.  
(Oh shit, not tonight!)  
Then he looked at the Tetsusaiga. It had transformed back into its useless form. He had become completely human, and was now no longer strong enough to beat Jakotsu. 'You should stop being so rash,' Miroku's voice echoed in his mind. 'It will end up really screwing you over.'  
"Damn it Miroku," InuYasha muttered under his breath, "Why the hell do you always hafta be right all the time?"  
Jakotsu smiled and dashed to wards is enemy. 


	26. Mystery Revealed

The sun had gone to sleep, and with it, it had taken InuYasha's strength. That night was that of the new moon, which meant he would become completely human. And he did. He watched in absolute horror as he changed. He was no longer strong enough to continue this fight that he had started. Even the Tetsusaiga couldn't help him anymore.  
"I hate it when you become human," Jakotsu whined. "You lose your cute little ears."  
InuYasha clenched his teeth. He may have weakened Jakotsu enough to finish him off. But would he risk it? If he could just get that sword away from him... But how would he do it?  
(Well, you could stoop down to his level and-)  
"No!" he shouted out loud. Jakotsu raised an eyebrow. "I mean," he muttered as his eyes darted left and right.  
(Damn. What am I going to do? Perhaps I could-)  
"Stop wasting time!" Jakotsu called out, snapping his enemy out of his thoughts. He ran over to him, wielding his sword in front of him, ready to strike. He tilted his sword to one side, and brought it down on InuYasha's head. It hit with a clang sound, and it was almost as if he wasn't hurt at all.  
(Guess he doesn't have much in there to be hurt... ^_^')  
InuYasha rubbed his head and realized that, no indeed, that didn't hurt as much as other people had said. Then he stopped. What if the blow wasn't supposed to cause him pain? Could Jakotsu just be...?  
Jakotsu lifted his sword out in front of him and pointed it at InuYasha. "Before we continue, may I ask a question?"  
"No," was his muttered response.  
He smirked. "I just want to know why the hell you did what you did."  
"What are you talking about?" InuYasha asked, shocked. Had he done something?  
"You know very well what I'm talking about." Jakotsu narrowed his eyes. "Why did you attack her?"  
InuYasha, for once, was silent. He honestly hadn't the foggiest idea what this baka was talking about. He didn't attack anyone. Well, except for Jakotsu obviously. "What?" he finally managed to say.  
"Kikyou," he whispered. "Why did you attack her?"  
The all-human demon clenched his fists. How dare he say that! He was the one who had attacked Kagome in the first place, and now he was insinuating that he had attacked Kikyou?  
"You've lost your mind!" he shouted. "I didn't attack Kikyou! And if anything, you should be answering to me! Why did you attack Kagome?"  
Jakotsu lowered his sword. "Kagome?" He had no idea what he was talking about. Silence took over the battlefield. The only sounds were their heavy breathing, and the sound of wind howling through the surrounding trees. They both looked into each other's eyes and realized that they were both telling the truth, that neither one of them had attacked either Kagome or Kikyou. But if they didn't, then who did...?  
  
~*~ ... I think they've had enough, don't you? ... ~*~  
  
Without warning, a snowstorm had begun. The snow came down in thick lumps, obstructing their view. Then, out of the corner of his eye, InuYasha saw a shadow move towards him. He noticed that he was still holding the Tetsusaiga. He tightened his grip on it. The figure was also holding a sword. It sprung out at him, but he just barely dodged it. It was the Jakotsutou.  
Meanwhile, Jakotsu had realized that a figure holding a big sword was standing behind him too. But because of the blizzard, he couldn't see who it was. But he had an idea. He noticed the dog-ears right off the bat.  
"I understand now," he whispered. Without thinking, he slashed his sword at the figure, ripping it in two. Then the blizzard lifted, and revealed to him what he had cut up. It was InuYasha. Or at least, it was what looked like him. He glanced over at the real InuYasha, who was fighting a copy of himself. When he saw it, he instantly became disgusted.  
(I definitely do NOT look like that...)  
He ran over to his doppelgänger and sliced the abomination into two pieces. "Eww," he muttered as its body fell to the ground.  
"Well," InuYasha said, "That answers some questions." Jakotsu nodded in agreement. "Umm," he continued, "about the whole trying to kill you thing..."  
Jakotsu smiled. "Anytime," he said. He was interrupted just then by the sound of evil cackling. Then the shadowy figure of Urasue formed right before their eyes.  
"You have done well to destroy my copies," she said. "But alas, they were nothing compared to me." She smiled wickedly, revealing her horrible teeth. "I sent them to attack those girls to frame you. I think it went pretty well, don't you agree?"  
"Not really," Jakotsu muttered. Urasue just shrugged.  
"You obviously have no taste," she muttered. "Now, the original plan was for me to come over hear and beat the shit out of you. But I see you've already done that."  
Then a second female voice spoke: "So allow us to finish the job." For the first time in a long time, Sekka had revealed herself to her enemy. She looked over at Jakotsu and winked. "Nice to see you again," she said, blowing him a kiss. Then she walked over to InuYasha. "Aww," she said, giving a fake frown, "What happened to your cute ears?"  
"Do I know you?" he asked. Sekka sweatdropped.  
"I'm the bad guy!" she exclaimed. She turned to Jakotsu and said, "Surely you remember me."  
Jakotsu's eyes squinted and he said, "I'm trying to forget."  
"Well," Sekka muttered in an annoyed tone. "Here's the deal: you two come with me nice and easily, and I won't make the last few moments of your lives a living hell."  
"I have another deal," Jakotsu smirked. He lifted his sword and lunged at Sekka. But she just scoffed and swung her arm to block the slash. The sword struck her arm and barely even scratched it. She then grabbed the sword from out of his hands and threw it behind her.  
"You obviously don't know what you're dealing with," she smiled wickedly. "Mere swords cannot hurt me." Then she snapped her fingers, and Urasue uttered an incantation. Before InuYasha or Jakotsu had time to react, they were both instantly put to sleep by the spell.  
"Take them back to the fortress," Sekka instructed. "Phase two of our plan is now complete." Urasue nodded, and took the two prisoners to the ice fortress.  
Sekka stayed behind in the forest, and began to wander aimlessly around in it. It was beginning to get to warm for her. So she decided to make it a little cooler. Storm clouds gathered above the forest. Snow began to rain heavily onto the ground. Mixed into it was rain and hail.  
"There," she smiled to herself. "That's better. I hope that dog-boy and his friends don't think they're gonna beat us, because the ice army does not lose. And even when we're about to lose, we never give up. We never know when to stop, actually." She looked around and blushed a little.  
(Who the hell am I talking to!?)  
She laughed.  
  
Fuyuka sat on top of the look out tower and watched Urasue return with her captives. He was really hoping that Sekka would come back with her. Lately, he had been having urges. But she was with that lightning demon. That stupid, ugly lightning demon.  
(Jealous, are we?)  
He sighed. Yes, he was jealous. In fact, he was insanely jealous. Sekka was supposed to be his property, and now this new guy showed up out of nowhere. Well, for his sake, he better be good at watching his back, because one of these days...  
He shook his head. No, he couldn't hurt Sekka like that.  
(Yes, YOU couldn't... but maybe someone else could...)  
He smiled. Of course, he would get someone else to kill Hiten for him. Then Sekka would run into his arms to seek comfort. And he would be right there for her. But another thought came to his mind: his little brother. What was he going to do with him?  
Meanwhile, Frostbyte, inside the fortress' main hall, was thinking about Kouga as well. She knew that there was something between him and Kagura. It was obvious. He was in her way, and she would do anything to knock him down.  
If only there was a common solution to both Frostbyte and Fuyuka's problem... 


	27. Nightmare

During the night, Kohaku was having the most bizarre dream he had ever had. He dreamt that a fierce looking dog creature was fighting a giant serpent demon. When the battle was finally over, rays of light poured down from the sky, and covered the entire area with white, fluffy snow.  
(her mirror)  
Suddenly, it was if he was transported back to his place. He was back home, with Sango and Miroku. The three of them were sitting in the living room, watching a crackling fire. He felt so calm and at ease. He drifted further into sleep.  
(look into)  
He awoke suddenly. He looked around. His heart raced. Flames had engulfed his room. The fumes from the smoke were choking him. He had to get out, but he could not find a way. He called for help, but no one would answer. Then, the flames parted slightly, and revealed the way out. He made a dash for it, but was pushed back by a tall dark figure.  
(to see them)  
He couldn't make it out, but it seemed to be very familiar to him. He tried to push passed it to get out of the burning room, but it would not let him. He fell to the ground, and looked up into what could have been its eyes. He could see Kanna and Hakudoushi in them. They were dead, sprawled on the floor like rag dolls.  
(are trapped)  
He closed his eyes and put his hands to his head. "Just go away," he cried. But then more horrible images found their way into his mind. Images of war, bodies, blood, and many other hideous things slashed their way into his subconscious. He collapsed to the ground, seemingly lifeless.  
(your friends)  
He bolted upright in his bed. He panted heavily as beads of sweat made their way down his forehead. It was just a dream. He lay back down; tears of frustration and fear were just barely making their way out of his eyes. But what did it mean? He closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.  
(...k...o...h...a...k...u...)  
  
He, Kanna, Hakudoushi and Rin were planning to go see a movie that afternoon. There were several different features playing at the local theatre, but one in specific caught their attention. It was one of those hip skateboarding movies called... "Sk8ter."  
Kohaku, Hakudoushi and Rin were extremely enthused about seeing the film, but Kanna was having second thoughts. With the votes three to one, she was out numbered, so she decided to just cave in. The four of them left for the theatre.  
When they arrived, a long line up had already begun to form at the ticket booth. They were lucky; the booth had only a few more tickets left, and they would just barely make it in. They bought their tickets, and sent Kohaku to get popcorn and other snacks while they went into the actual theatre and found their seats.  
After a good half hour into the movie, Kohaku, Hakudoushi and Rin could barely pry their eyes off the screen. Kanna on the other hand found herself as bored as hell. It was a stupid movie. It had a lame plot, and the actors weren't exactly top quality. She had to get out.  
She quietly got up from her seat and went into the lobby to clear her head. Hakudoushi and Rin were too involved in the movie to notice, but Kohaku was more astute. He rose from his seat too, and left for the lobby. Again, Hakudoushi and Rin didn't notice.  
"Hey Kanna," he said, taking a seat next to her. "What's the matter?"  
"It is a horrible movie," she said quietly. Kohaku smiled and nodded in agreement. "So why did you choose it?"  
"I knew that Hakudoushi and Rin would love it," he explained, "And I knew that you would hate it."  
Kanna grinned. "You knew that I would have to leave." Kohaku nodded. "You knew that we would be alone together." Kohaku nodded again and prayed that Kanna's smile would not disappear. He was lucky today, as it didn't.  
As they were looking into each other's eyes, Hakudoushi realized that their group was short two people. He leaned over to Rin and whispered in her ear that he was going to go look for them. She didn't even see him leave. When he entered the lobby, he saw the most horrible sight he had ever seen. Kanna and Kohaku were kissing right there on the bench beside the door into the theatre. He felt rage flood his entire body. He would put a stop to it right then and there. Kanna and Kohaku saw him coming towards them through the corners of their eyes and stopped immediately.  
"Hakudoushi," Kohaku stuttered, trying to explain. But Hakudoushi would not listen. He marched right up to them and just as they thought he was going to let them have it, they realized that he didn't stop walking.  
He pushed right passed them and stood toe to toe with a long eared white rabbit holding a bowl and box of cereal. He grabbed them from it and said, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!"  
  
A skateboarding movie and two refunds later, the four kids returned back home. They had heard that Kagura was staying at Kouga's cave until her wounds fully healed. However, they had no idea why. As far as they knew, Kouga and Kagura hated each other. Hakudoushi and Rin both felt that they were too young to be troubled about love and hate. Kanna and Kohaku on the other hand felt that it was going to be their turn sooner or later. Unfortunately for them, their only real role models were Sango and Miroku. And they both knew what was going on there.  
(Or rather, what wasn't going on there...)  
But for now, they decided to just enjoy their childhood. It would only last a few more years, so they should spend their time doing kid stuff, and not worry about adult stuff. Kohaku broke out the old Play Master 6000 once again, and placed in the game Dark Cloud. He had finally gotten up to the city level. The dungeon, a shipwreck type level, was challenging indeed. Baddies popped up out of nowhere all the time. His character's levels weren't exactly top quality, either. But he always found a way to beat the slimmest of odds.  
Now, with the level complete, his final task was to destroy the boss of the dungeon, so that he could finally progress in the game. His heart was pounding, and his hands were shaking. He had never gotten this far before, and had no idea what to expect. Rin, Hakudoushi and Kanna felt the same way.  
His character entered the boss chamber, and a short cinematic started to play. It was a beautiful cathedral with an even more beautiful woman standing in the center. She wore a pretty dress, and had long purple hair.  
(koori)  
She spoke to his character, and then transformed into a horrible monster.  
(kisaki)  
He realized then and there that he did not have the key item to defeat this boss: a fire item.  
"Idiot," Hakudoushi muttered. "Didn't I tell you to buy some fire gems?"  
Kohaku rolled his eyes. "Well, now I know what to expect for next time."  
(do you?)  
The question shot through his mind like a bullet. He had no idea where it came from. The voice wasn't even that of his subconscious. It was like some alien voice that was speaking to him from somewhere else. He shivered at the thought of this unseen presence.  
"Cold?"  
He looked up. Kanna had handed him a blanket. He stared at her for a few seconds, and then realized that he was shivering. He took the blanket, thanked her, and wrapped it around himself. He stopped shivering almost immediately. He knew that he wouldn't be able to play the game anymore, so he offered the controller up for grabs. Hakudoushi and Rin decided to play some two-player game. Kohaku and Kanna left them to it.  
In her room now, Kanna and Kohaku sat on the bed. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
He looked into her eyes. "What makes you say that?"  
"All day now, you have been acting like something has been bothering you."  
Kohaku lowered his gaze. "Last night I had a weird dream." He began to tell her about it. He mentioned the fire, the horrible nightmarish images that seemed to want to claw their way through his mind. And without even thinking about it, he asked, "Can I see your mirror?"  
Kanna handed him her mirror. He looked into it. Nothing was happening. But then, the reflecting shadows on the mirror's surface began to take shape of something. The image of a block of ice formed right before their eyes. Then it morphed into a great fortress made of ice. The two kids watched in awe as the reflection took a tour through the fortress. It showed where all the winding corridors led, and even showed the location of the prison cells. They gasped in shock and horror when it showed them a particular cell. Lying on the floor of the cell, shivering, clutching onto life and about ready to let go, were the bodies of InuYasha and Jakotsu. 


	28. Another Rescue Plan

The sound of a heavy tank crashing through the forest made its way throughout the countryside. Villagers could hear it a great distance away, and it was very annoying. The tank was, of course, Ginkotsu and his passengers: Suikotsu, Kyoukotsu and the newly acquired Hamaya.  
"Ginkotsu," Suikotsu started, "When do you expect that we'll arrive back home?"  
"Not long now," Ginkotsu growled.  
"Good," Suikotsu whispered. He looked around at the beautiful countryside that was all around them. It made him think of the times that he and Kikyou would go out into a field and have picnics. He sighed.  
Hamaya looked up at him. "What's wrong Mr. Suikotsu?"  
He looked down that the boy, who was looking much better now. He had almost fully recovered from his wounds. They had even got him some new clothes so he wouldn't have to wear those tattered old rags all the way home. "I guess I'm just homesick."  
"What's your place like?"  
"You'll love it," Suikotsu smiled.  
"If you can stand our friends that is," Kyoukotsu chuckled. Suikotsu and Ginkotsu joined in.  
  
Meanwhile, Kohaku and Kanna were wasting no time informing their friends and family about what the mirror had shown them. Within only a few hours, a plan to rescue InuYasha and Jakotsu from the ice demons was formed. They knew this would require a group effort, so they gathered together all able-bodied people from the three rivaling bands to join together to make the rescue party.  
Kagome and Kikyou were too badly injured to partake, so they had to stay behind. Sango volunteered to stay behind to watch over Kagome to make sure she was all right. Mukotsu stayed with Kikyou for the same reason. Shippou was also asked to stay behind, but he didn't want to. He wanted to join the others in the fight. But that old excuse that he was 'too young to fight' came up yet again.  
The rescue force was gathered together in record time. It was made up of Miroku, Nobunaga, Sesshoumaru, Juuroumaru, Kouga, Kagura, Kohaku, Kanna, Hakudoushi, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Kirara, Jaken, Ginta, Hakkaku and a good portion of Kouga's wolves. But even with all these people, would they be able to penetrate the ice fortress' defenses? There was only one way to find out. And that time was coming soon; the first true fight between the two opposing giants: InuYasha and company versus KooriKisaki and her army of ice.  
As Miroku and Nobunaga were getting ready to leave, Shippou, who wanted to go even though he was 'too young,' asked one more time if he could help.  
"Sorry, Shippou," was Miroku's calm response, "You should stay here and help Sango look after Kagome. Ok?"  
Shippou crossed his arms in front of his chest and began to pout. "But I wanna come with you guys," he exclaimed. Miroku shook his head. "Ok then, do you even know where you're going?"  
Miroku and Nobunaga stopped in their tracks. The little fox demon had brought up a very good point. They had absolutely no idea where the ice fortress was. Back when La Saia had asked them to go find it, they weren't able to. What chance did they have now?  
However, one person was a step ahead of them. Unbeknownst to anyone, a Hyoukoumori ice bat was fluttering just outside the door. Naraku had sent it as bait to lure them into his web. It crashed into the window to get their attention. When it had it, they knew instantly that this was a trap devised by the ice army. It was obvious, but they had no choice. In all the confusion, Miroku had not noticed the change of weight of his supply bag. But by the time that they had gotten outside, the ice bat had already flown away. It wanted them to be in suspense for a little while longer before the future events were to occur.  
  
As InuYasha's friends were getting their act together, KooriKisaki and her army were doing the same thing. Yes, they were planning a trap for them. Yes, they knew that InuYasha's friends would know that it was a trap... but they definitely would not expect what was in store for them.  
Sekka was appointed leader of Icykal and the Toukaibutsu. This would be their first official fight, and she wanted them to be ready for it. Fuyuka and his ice wolves were also preparing for this big fight. Icehaken, however, still thought it was all child's play  
(Friends to the end, eh Andy?)  
and didn't pay much heed to Fuyuka's instructions for preparing.  
With Shimoka's passing, the army was now short a general. KooriKisaki appointed Frostbyte as a temporary replacement until someone else was found. That's when Naraku stepped forward.  
"Why don't you make me a general?" he asked, a little miffed that she hadn't asked him in the first place.  
"Sorry," the ice queen said flatly, "but my words are final. Perhaps if you do good in this fight, I might consider it." And that was that.  
This made Naraku insanely pissed off. He was good enough! He knew it! Goshinki, Musou and Kageroumaru would all agree with him.  
"You?" Kageroumaru said, stunned, "A general?" He paused, and then burst out in gales of laughter. Musou and Goshinki joined in. It was really amusing, after all.  
Finally, after much planning, the trap was set. Sekka, Fuyuka, Gyouka and Naraku, with the help of Frostbyte and her Yukikyuu, Icehaken and the Kooriookami, Icykal and the Toukaibutsu, the Hyoukoumori and Naraku's detachments, would wait for their prey, and annihilate them.  
Even though the conditions were extremely horrible, InuYasha and Jakotsu still managed to find this whole plan of the ice army very funny. Idiots, they called them. They knew their friends wouldn't just walk into a trap like this. But they were wrong. That's exactly what was going to happen.  
Now, finally with all the plotting and planning finished, it was time to set everything in motion. The Hyoukoumori bait was sent and did its duty. It caught the enemy's attention. It was leading them straight into a well thought out trap that would, hopefully for the bad guys, annihilate the threat of InuYasha and his friends.  
Miroku and company chased the ice bats through a giant frozen wasteland. There were few demons to give them trouble, and all the ones that got in their way were dealt with efficiently and quickly. Then there it was, standing tall right in front of them: the ice fortress.  
It was a giant castle of ice and snow, inhabited by several frozen bats, giant ice monsters and so on. What puzzled them though, was how come they couldn't find it before? This was more or less around the area that they had searched...  
There they stood, the whole lot of them, ready to enter the fortress, fight the demons and survive, hopefully, to be able to rescue their friends. What they didn't notice was, peering from the highest window of the massive overlooking tower, KooriKisaki herself. She smiled wickedly at her prey. With them out of the picture, she would then be free to search for the rest of the Shikon Jewel fragments in peace, with little to no disturbances...  
  
From out of the tiny window in the cell wall, InuYasha could see the ice army preparing for their assault. "They're here," he whispered.  
"Do you think they know it's a trap?" Jakotsu asked. InuYasha nodded. "Then, why are they-"  
"They can handle it." He sat down on the cold floor to try to gather his thoughts. "I know what they're thinking. They will try to penetrate KooriKisaki's defenses and send some to rescue us, and let the others fight."  
"But will it work?" Jakotsu was having serious doubts about this whole plan. It wasn't well thought out and it was a very rash thing to do.  
(I bet Bankotsu thought this up...)  
InuYasha smiled. "You have to believe more in your friends."  
Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "I believe in them. I just think this whole idea is stupid. It's not going to work."  
"Feh. You can tell me why you think it won't work when we're back home."  
The next few seconds moved by like years as they waited for something to happen. 


	29. The War Pt 1

~*~ ... Outside the ice fortress ... ~*~  
Standing in the cold snow was starting to take its toll on the group of InuYasha and Jakotsu's friends that had come to rescue them. But they didn't have time to worry about that now. They had a job to do.  
Miroku was busy thinking about the current events and barely noticed that his bag had started to move and squirm. He finally broke free of his thoughts and opened the bag to reveal Shippou, who was gasping for air. "Shippou?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
"I told ya, I wanted to help," the little fox demon answered.  
Miroku sighed. "Well I guess now that you're here, you should make yourself useful." Shippou nodded and jumped out of the nice warm bag right into the freezing snow.  
Meanwhile, Kouga was frantically searching the area with his eyes. He could smell his half brother and his pack of wolves. Ginta and Hakkaku, along with Kouga's own pack of wolves, had also joined in this fight. They too could smell their leader's brother. It made all of them very uneasy.  
Ginta leaned over and, into Hakkaku's ear, whispered, "You ready for this?"  
Hakkaku scoffed. "Course I am," he said with a cocky tone. "This ain't gonna be too hard, ya know."  
Ginta's eyes narrowed. "Don't you remember all the other times we fought Fuyuka and his Kooriookami tribe?" Hakkaku just stared blankly back at his fellow wolf. Ginta sweatdropped.  
  
~*~ ... Inside the ice fortress ... ~*~  
The ice queen looked out from her tower window to the team of her enemies. A few humans and a few demons were all that would stand in her way? She scoffed at the thought. What a pitiful excuse for a rescue team. How would they possibly hope to beat her and her army of superior demons with a small group of nobodies?  
But as she was taunting them with her mind, she soon became highly aware that she didn't feel all too normal anymore. She had to get out of there immediately. Resisting the urge to panic, she calmly got up from her seat at the window and walked down the winding staircase to the main hall where her troops were waiting to launch the attack. She walked over to Gyouka and pulled him aside. She explained to him what was going on, and told him what she wanted him to do.  
"Start the attack now," she said. "That way, it will create a distraction and I will be able to get out of here." Gyouka nodded in agreement and shouted out to Sekka to start the attack now. Then he took his queen to a secret door and led her through it.  
"What's all that about?" Manten asked Yura, but she didn't have an answer.  
"Ladies and gentlemen," Sekka's voice boomed, interrupting their thoughts, "Let the slaughter begin!" The army of ice demons and their allies, with the added help of Hiten and Manten's little sister, Souten and her pet dragon Kouryuu, rushed out to meet their enemies.  
  
~*~ ... The fight ... ~*~  
No time was wasted to begin the fight. Hyoukoumori ice bats sprayed out a cold mist to limit their enemies' vision. Yukikyuu snowballs gathered in mass amounts to attack as a single unit as opposed to individuals. Toukaibutsu ice demons, with their 'mother' Icykal, were completely ready for their first real fight. And the Kooriookami clan faced their mountain clan counterpart head-on.  
Standing right in the front of the baddies army was Naraku, with Goshinki and Musou by his side. An evil grin washed across his face as a look of anxiety and hurt washed over his enemies. They knew now that he was with the ice queen and her army. They knew that he would have to be stopped too. Hakudoushi tightened his hold on his staff, Kagura flicked her wrist, opening her fan, and Kanna gripped her mirror. The fight had started.  
Fuyuka and Kouga stared directly into each other's eyes. Memories of their past came flooding back to them. They balled their hands into fists, clenched their teeth and ran straight to each other. Kouga swung a punch at his brother, but missed. Fuyuka ducked out of the way and threw a punch of his own. However, his little brother had gotten a lot faster due to certain 'enhancements.'  
The other wolves started to fight as well. The ice wolves leapt at the mountain wolves with claws extended and teeth bared. The two clans bashed furiously at each other, scratching out eyes, biting through flesh, ripping each other to shreds. The surrounding white snow began to turn blood red.  
Ginta and Hakkaku saw the bigger blue wolf leap at them. After that, it was a blur. Icehaken swiped them across their faces with his claws, cutting them. They fell to the ground in pain. The blue wolf walked slowly to them, taunting them and savoring the moment.  
"Little pups like you," he snarled, "belong not in a battle like this."  
Meanwhile, Nobunaga's hands became tied due to the evil ogress Urasue. She was frantically throwing magic spells at him to get rid of him as fast as possible. To her, he was just a nothing; a little bug that had to be squished immediately. But she was wrong. Little did she know, this bug could sting.  
Nobunaga unsheathed his sword and made a mad dash to his enemy, slashed his sword and ripped the ogress in two. But even that would not kill her.  
"Fool," she cackled. "You cannot beat me. For even though I have been cut into two pieces, I am still as stron-" He silenced the old wench by kicking her head clear across the battlefield. One down...  
"Tell me," Musou smiled wickedly as he threw a punch at Renkotsu, "Where is the maiden Kikyou? I would much love to see her again."  
Renkotsu rolled his eyes as he dodged the punch. "What is it with you guys and Kikyou, anyways?"  
"She's cute," Musou smirked. "And very good with her ands, if you get my meaning."  
"Actually," Renkotsu said with a straight expression, "I wouldn't know anything about that..."  
"I should very much hope so..."  
The two combatants continued their fight and conversation about Kikyou, who was still lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to life support equipment, struggling to stay alive. Musou, like Naraku, had a wicked lust for Kikyou, because he was also born from Onigumo, the evil bandit that Kikyou just couldn't resist helping in his time of need. It was an act that would totally screw her and her friends over in the future. And it did.  
Musou frowned. "This fight, it's going nowhere."  
"Agreed."  
"Then let's spice it up a bit," he said with an evil grin.  
Renkotsu looked down to the ground in disgust. "Sorry to disappoint you there," he said, then shuddered, "But I don't swing that way, if you get my meaning."  
Musou slapped his forehead. "Not that you idiot," he exclaimed. "I mean, this..." Something then happened that Renkotsu did not expect. Musou's hands grew and took the shape of claws. Three more pairs of legs sprouted from his body, which had begun to take a longer, more insect-like shape. He had transformed into a giant, hideous scorpion creature. He towered over Renkotsu and clicked his claws together rapidly. Renkotsu just smiled.  
Sesshoumaru and Jaken were the first two of KooriKisaki's enemies to fight the Toukaibutsu ice demons. From their deformed heads they shot bursts of freezing gas that would encase anything it touched in ice. Fortunately, Jaken's staff could dispel the attack, and Sesshoumaru was faster than the frosty demons. The only real problem was that there were just so many of them.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken whined, "What are we to do? We cannot fight monsters like this."  
"Stop complaining, Jaken," Sesshoumaru whispered. "They are just simple blocks of ice that can be melted."  
"But m'lord!" Jaken protested. "We have no access to large amounts of fire!" Sesshoumaru stared at his bumbling sidekick in disbelief. Then it hit him. "My staff!" he exclaimed. "My staff can produce a great amount of-"  
"Yes, yes," Sesshoumaru shouted, frustrated. "Just blast the damn things!"  
Jaken nodded and, from his staff, blasted a huge flame at the ice demons. They all melted on the spot. But it wasn't over yet. The mother ice monster, Icykal, crawled slowly to them. Massive appendages jutted out from its body that acted as legs. It also had a pair of front mandibles that were like claws. It stared at them with its blood red eyes. And then, with incredible speed, it brought its claw right on top of Jaken, pushing him into the snow. Sesshoumaru shook his head with disappointment.  
"S-sorry, m'lord," Jaken stuttered as the monster lifted its claw of off him. "I'll get it next time..."  
It was nothing more than a big purple object to Juuroumaru. Goshinki could not do much, fighting wise. But his mind-reading abilities were a pain to get around. And something about that smirk on his face was not quite comforting.  
"Little brother," Goshinki growled, "What a shame that Fate has pitted us against one another."  
Juuroumaru could feel the familiar chill in the air. Not the chill that was caused by the snow and icy wind, but that other one. The one that came from his own little brother, Kageroumaru. 


	30. The War Pt 2

... Thunder siblings ...   
  
"Stupid freezing snow," Hakudoushi muttered to himself as he, Kanna and Kohaku chased Hiten through the battlefield. The fight wasn't going very well for the three kids. Hiten had encased himself in a lightning shield that repelled all of their attacks. None of them had any sort of power to dispel it, either.  
  
"What should we do?" Kohaku pondered. But he got no response. How to beat this monster? No physical attacks could break through the shield. Would psychological attacks work? There was only one way to find out. "Hey, Hiten!" he shouted out, but that was about as far as he could get. Hiten spun around and blasted them with a ball of lightning. It hit right in front of them, sending all three of them flying backwards.  
  
(Okay, maybe that won't work after all...)  
  
Kohaku helped Kanna to her feet and the three of them continued their pursuit.  
  
Meanwhile, Miroku was having a little trouble of his own. Manten's electrical blasts were everywhere, and Yura's little clusters of hair that he kept bumping into cut his skin. He had to act fast to beat them. He used his staff to build a barrier around himself, which was affective against both Yura's hair and Manten's lightning. But it was only a matter of time before the barrier's power would run out.  
  
Manten sent out another wave of lightning. Within mere inches from Miroku, a large spinning object deflected it. He didn't see what it was until it had landed in the snow: Bankotsu's Banryuu.  
  
"Need some help?" he smirked as he picked up his enormous sword. Sword in hand, he dashed towards the hair demon and slashed right through her wires as if they were nothing.  
  
"Oh," Yura smiled, "I like this one. He has spunk." She tugged the hairs in her palm and a giant arm of hair rose from the snow behind her. "Let's see what he can do." The arm came crashing down on Bankotsu, but his sword again cut through the hair.  
  
(Can he see my hairs...?)  
  
Miroku then used this opportunity of confusion to make an attack on the lightning demon. He raised his staff and aimed it at Manten and then chanted an incantation. Manten noticed this and tried to stop him with a blast of lightning. But that Manten wasn't all too bright. Miroku had created a barrier made of water, and when the lightning attack hit it, it sent the force of the electricity back to Manten, frying him to a crisp.  
  
Yura pulled out of her fight against Bankotsu to help. He was still alive, but could no longer continue to fight. She used her hair to pick him up, and they retreated.  
  
"Well," Bankotsu muttered, "That's two down..."  
  
Miroku smiled. "Thanks for helping me," he said.  
  
"No problem," Bankotsu smiled.  
  
"Uhh, one question though," Miroku said, putting his hand behind his head. "What's your name again?" Bankotsu sweatdropped.  
  
Hiten spotted Yura taking Manten away, and tried to catch up to her, but his enemies slowed him down. Three little children were what he was fighting. How irritating. A demon of his power should not have to battle mere children! But these were no mere children. Still encased in his electrical shield, he began firing balls of lightning down at them. Not a one hit his targets, but he came pretty close.  
  
"What should we do?" Kohaku stammered.  
  
"Didn't you already ask that?" Hakudoushi smirked. "Like, about a dozen paragraphs ago?"  
  
"Still," Kohaku muttered. Then it came to him. He got an idea of how to beat Hiten. He remembered a couple of months ago, when he played the Zelda game for his Play Master 6000. There was a boss that flew in the air, shooting balls of energy down at him. To beat it, he would send the attack back at it and then run in and attack with his sword. He smiled. "I have an idea," he said.  
  
A wave of fire flashed in front of Shippou's eyes as Kirara attacked a Toukaibutsu monster. "Why did I hafta come?" he muttered to himself. Then he felt a mild shock go through his body. He jumped to his feet, and standing behind him were Souten and Kouryuu.  
  
"Hello, Shippou," she smirked. "Long time no see."  
  
"Likewise," Shippou muttered. "Do we really have to start fighting?"  
  
Souten rolled her eyes. "Of course we do!" she shouted. "This is a war! You're a good guy, and I'm a bad guy. We hafta fight!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
Souten clenched her teeth. "What did I just say?" she exclaimed.  
  
Kouryuu turned to her and whispered, "You don't wanna fight him do you?" She spun around and gave him a hard love tap on his head, leaving a large bump.  
  
While Kouryuu was trying to stand back up, or at least see if he could, Kohaku had set his plan into motion. Hiten blasted balls of energy down at them, and Kanna reflected them back to him with her mirror. The lightning balls penetrated his shield and brought him to the cold snow, where Kohaku and Hakudoushi were waiting to slice him up with their weapons. Unable to take any more punishment, Hiten fled.  
  
Souten looked up at her fleeing brother and decided that maybe she should join him. "This isn't over," she said, pointing to Shippou. Then she and Kouryuu left him there, confused.  
  
... Jail break ...   
  
Kagura had gotten dangerously close to the ice fortress. Someone had to stop her. Frostbyte was just the demon for the job. "And where do you think you're going?" she asked with a seductive tone in her voice. "I'm sorry, but you don't belong in there."  
  
"God," Kagura whined, "I hate you."  
  
"Aww," Frostbyte smiled, "That hurt."  
  
"Indeed." Kagura spun around and started towards the fortress again. But Frostbyte caught up to her.  
  
"You know, Kagura," she whispered. "What you're little wolf friend did... It didn't quite agree with me. I'm afraid I will have to pay him back."  
  
Kagura had heard enough from this weird ice demon. She flicked her wrist, opening her fan, and blew a gust of wind at her enemy, sending her flying across the battlefield. "I wonder if she'll ever learn to fly on her own...?" she giggled.  
  
Musou's tail sliced through the ground as Renkotsu tried vigorously to dodge it. It was almost too fast for him. He rebutted with a flame attack from his gloves. The snow all around them melted due to the extreme heat, but Musou wouldn't back down. He lashed again, and again, missed.  
  
"You're beginning to get on my nerves" Musou sneered. He lashed his tail out one more time, and Renkotsu used this time to counterattack. He grabbed the tail and engulfed it in a roaring flame. Musou squirmed in pain, trying to put out the fire. But it was of no use. The snow around them had melted, and he was too panicky to try to roll his tail on the ground. Renkotsu smiled wickedly as the bug that was once a man burned to death before his very eyes.  
  
"We're loosing, ya know," Sekka muttered to Naraku as they watched the battle from a distance. He just smiled.  
  
"I have it all under control," he whispered.  
  
Miroku, Nobunaga, Bankotsu and Kagura had succeeded in infiltrating the ice fortress. They burst into rooms, looking franticly for the prison cells. Toukaibutsu, Hyoukoumori and Yukikyuu demons tried to obstruct their path, but they were mowed down like grass on a lawn.  
  
Finally, they found the prison cells. Bankotsu twirled his Banryuu above him, and then threw it at the cell. After it had settled from crashing through the bars, InuYasha and Jakotsu climbed out.  
  
"It's about fucking time," InuYasha growled.  
  
Jakotsu elbowed him in the ribs. "Watch your language," he snapped.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do," InuYasha exclaimed.  
  
Jakotsu smiled. "You're cute when you're angry."  
  
InuYasha tried to make a lunge for him, but Kagura interrupted him. "Gentlemen," she muttered, "Might I remind you there is a battle being fought outside?"  
  
"Right," InuYasha muttered. Then, under his breath, he added, "Not worth my time anyways."  
  
"What was that?" Jakotsu inquired, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"None of your damn business!"  
  
Kagura sweatdropped. They're acting like an old married couple, she thought.  
  
... Betrayal ...   
  
Juuroumaru swung his fists furiously at Goshinki, but even as fast as he was, all his moves were known before he even performed them. Goshinki could read his mind and block every attack that he would through at him. This battle could not be won like this.  
  
"What's wrong, brother?" Goshinki smirked as he dodged Juuroumaru's blind attack, "I thought you were faster than this..."  
  
Juuroumaru snarled. He could still feel that eerie chill in the air. Then he heard a loud crashing sound. He looked over and saw Sesshoumaru fighting the big Toukaibutsu mother, Icykal. Then, everything became a complete blank.  
  
Watching the fight with Sekka and Naraku, Kageroumaru began to chuckle evilly. "He is under my complete control now, Naraku," he sneered.  
  
"Good," Naraku smiled. "Have him get Sesshoumaru out of the way first."  
  
"Oh," Kageroumaru snickered, "I hear and I obey..."  
  
And with that, Juuroumaru charged head on towards Sesshoumaru. 


	31. The War Pt 3

... Wolves ...   
  
Red wolf blood had stained the snow all around the battlefield. Never in all their years had the Yourou-zoku or the Kooriookami-zoku had a fight as fierce as this. Wolves had literally been ripped to shreds. The wounded littered the area. Naraku's Saimyoushou hell wasps began to feast on their rotting bodies. The Hyoukoumori joined in. Even some of the wolves began to eat their dead.  
  
But still, neither side would give up. Ginta and Hakkaku were set on finally getting rid of Icehaken. He had been a pain in the ass ever since he was elected second-in- command of the Kooriookami tribe.  
  
He leapt at them, slashing with his claws. They weren't fast enough to escape him. Fresh blood trickled down from their arms where the skin had become torn open. He sneered at them, bared his teeth and leapt again. Two of their fellow wolves tried to help, but he made short work of them.  
  
"Fools," he growled. "You cannot beat us. We are clearly the superior tribe."  
  
"What are we going to do, Ginta?" Hakkaku stuttered. His fellow wolf gave no reply. Neither of them could stand up to this big blue fur ball that was nothing but sharp teeth and claws; and they both knew it. But they would not give up. They tried to get back to their feet, but met with another blow from Icehaken. He would not let them back up. He wanted them to stay down. He wanted them dead.  
  
Kouga, meanwhile, had his hands full with fighting Fuyuka, and could not come to his brothers' aid. He was faster than the ice wolf, and he knew that that. Intelligence wise, they were more or less equal. But Fuyuka was physically stronger than him.  
  
He threw a punch at his older brother and nailed him right in the face. Fuyuka fell down, but got right back up, shook it off and smirked. Then he dashed and landed a punch right in Kouga's gut, almost bringing him to his knees.  
  
"I hope you realize now who the true leader of the wolves is," he whispered.  
  
Before he could rebut, Kouga heard the screams of his fellow wolves, Ginta and Hakkaku. Icehaken had pounced on them and was trying to literally eat them alive. He had to act fast. He grabbed a handful of snow and threw it in Fuyuka's face. With this time of opportunity, he dashed to Ginta and Hakkaku and kicked Icehaken clear off of them.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked as he helped them up. They grunted something that sounded like 'yes,' but that was all.  
  
Icehaken snarled as he got back to his feet. "You fool," he growled. "What do you hope to accomplish?"  
  
"Well," Kouga pondered, "I kinda wanna kill you."  
  
Icehaken chuckled. "I see," he muttered. "Then come at me."  
  
Kouga dashed to the blue ice wolf and tried to throw a couple of punches at him. None hit. Instead, the blue wolf clamped his teeth down hard on his arm. He punched the wolf in the head to try to make him let go, but he wouldn't. Finally, Kouga had had it. He lifted his arm, and the still attached Icehaken in the aid, and kicked his foot right into his gut. He let go, and fell to the ground.  
  
"Insolent pup," he stuttered as he tried to get to his feet. "I'll rip you in two!" He leapt at Kouga one final time, but was unaware of the amount of enemy wolves that had gathered around them. They leapt on him, tearing him to shreds with their own claws, and allowed Kouga to get Ginta and Hakkaku out of the area.  
  
... Friend versus friend ...   
  
Goshinki joined up with Naraku and Sekka, and explained that they were really taking a pounding. Sekka agreed to go and help out while Naraku, Kageroumaru and Goshinki watched the fight. The one they were most interested in was, of course, the battle between Sesshoumaru and Juuroumaru.  
  
Sesshoumaru couldn't understand what had made Juuroumaru attack him like this. He guessed that it was Naraku who controlling him, which made him very uneasy. If Naraku could take control of Juuroumaru, then maybe he could also...  
  
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hard punch across the face. Juuroumaru was too fast to keep up with. He reached for his sword, the Toukijin, but then stopped. He couldn't use it. Juuroumaru wasn't doing this of his own free will, and he knew it. He would have to fight using a different strategy.  
  
He extended his poison claws and tried to grab Juuroumaru's arm. He had it in his grasp, but Juuroumaru pulled free, and landed a punch right between his eyes. He stumbled back and tried desperately not to fall. He regained his balance just in time to dodge yet another attack.  
  
(Interesting... He seems to fight with no set plan... It is as if he is making it all up as he goes along...)  
  
Sesshoumaru would use this to his advantage. Juuroumaru didn't really know what he was doing. He was just throwing random attacks. He also seemed to missing a lot.  
  
(Wait... Is he purposely trying to miss me?)  
  
Juuroumaru threw a punch that landed just short of his face. He raised his knee and got him right in the gut. He fell down on his hands and knees, and Sesshoumaru jumped back.  
  
"Juuroumaru," he said, "I know that you do not wish to fight me."  
  
Juuroumaru looked up. Then he looked to his left. He got some of the sense knocked back into him from that blow, and he could feel his little brother's presence looming somewhere in the background. Then, he did something he had never done before. He opened his mouth, and whispered, "Kageroumaru..."  
  
When he spoke, Sesshoumaru felt a chill go up and down his spine. He, too, could feel this presence. It was coming from his right. "Naraku," he whispered. "So, I was right."  
  
Naraku, Goshinki and Kageroumaru watched. The standstill was becoming almost too much for them to handle. Kageroumaru studied his brother's thoughts.  
  
(He doesn't wanna fight...)  
  
He looked up at Naraku, who had an evil grin spread across his face. He then felt a sick feeling wash over him. He was disgusted with himself and what he was forcing his brother to do. It had to stop. Right now.  
  
... Downfall ...   
  
Fuyuka had chased Kouga to the ice fortress and the two of them had gone inside. They found InuYasha, Miroku, Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Nobunaga fighting Hyoukoumori and Yukikyuu demons. Kagura had her hands full with Frostbyte, and Jakotsu was busy dealing with Sekka.  
  
Renkotsu was backing away from a Toukaibutsu when he bumped into Bankotsu. "Hey," he whispered, "I have a plan." He proceeded to tell his fellow Shichinin-tai member of his thoughts.  
  
"It sounds kinda rash," Bankotsu whispered. Then he smiled and said, "I love it."  
  
Naraku's grin had begun to fade as he watched the battle start to turn against his favor. "This isn't looking too good," he whispered.  
  
Kageroumaru looked up at him, then back down to the snow.  
  
(The ugly purple one has to go first.)  
  
With incredible speed, he leapt towards Goshinki and landed right in front of him. Then, with even more speed, he leapt up and cut right through his head. Not giving Naraku anytime to react, he burst from Goshinki's brains and sliced through his chest. He landed, turned and jumped back through Naraku over and over again. On occasion, he would taste his innards.  
  
(blech!)  
  
Panting and covered in their blood, he landed in front of the two heaps that were once Goshinki and Naraku. He smiled and dashed towards Juuroumaru and Sesshoumaru.  
  
Back inside the ice fortress, things had begun to heat up... or cool down... whatever; they were starting to get messy. Renkotsu's plan was to set the fortress ablaze once the generals were trapped in it. This way, he would take out the fortress and the major enemies all in one single go.  
  
Jakotsu had Sekka cornered, and Kouga had Fuyuka cornered. Renkotsu used a timed bomb that he had brought and set it to go off in a few seconds.  
  
"Uhh," Bankotsu muttered. "Shouldn't you give it a little more time?"  
  
"I know what I'm doing," he said with a confident smile. He set the bomb and threw it to the roof, where it attached itself. "Guys!" he called out, "Let's get the fuck outta here!"  
  
Sekka and Fuyuka looked at each other in confusion, then back to their enemies. Kouga jumped back, grabbed Jakotsu's arm and dashed out of the fortress.  
  
"What's going on?" Fuyuka exclaimed.  
  
Sekka smiled. "They think they're going to win," she whispered. "Let them believe that."  
  
And with that, the bomb went off, engulfing the entire fortress in a huge flame. The sound of the explosion went through everyone's head like a nail. After helping each other up, they watched the fortress burn and melt to the ground. All the other ice demons had fled to escape the heat. Sesshoumaru, Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru walked slowly up to the group and joined in watching the flame. The battle was over. But the war, unfortunately, was not. KooriKisaki still loomed somewhere... 


	32. Aftermath

"Kikyou?" the villager said, scratching his head. He looked at the strange tank machine and its three passengers. "Well, I'm sorry to hafta tell ya this," he continued, "But she's down at the hospital. Got beaten up real bad by some demon."  
  
"What?" Suikotsu stuttered. "Is what you say the truth?" The villager nodded. "Ginkotsu, take us to the hospital."  
  
Ginkotsu's engines roared back to life, and they headed to the hospital. When they arrived, Ginkotsu parked in the lot, and Suikotsu entered the building. He asked the nurse where Kikyou's room was, and she led him to it. When he arrived, he found her lying in her hospital bed, and Mukotsu sitting in a chair beside her bed, reading a magazine.  
  
He looked up and gasped. "Suikotsu?" he exclaimed.  
  
"What happened, Mukotsu?" Suikotsu stammered. Mukotsu then began to explain what had happened to her on that night. He said that InuYasha had attacked her and Jakotsu had gone to go fight him. "Why would Jakotsu care so much about her?"  
  
Mukotsu hesitated to tell Suikotsu of the reason. He sighed. He would find out soon enough anyways. It would probably be best just to tell him now. "Kikyou's pregnant with his child."  
  
Suikotsu's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.  
  
"Ya," Mukotsu said, putting his hand behind his head, "That was my reaction when I found out too." Suikotsu didn't move. He didn't even blink. "Suikotsu? Are you okay?" He didn't reply. All he did was just fall over backwards and faint dead away. "Ya... And that was Renkotsu's reaction..."  
  
The next day, at InuYasha's place, he and Miroku were reviewing the events of the last couple of days as everyone else rested up from the fight. "So," Miroku said, "It was Urasue's shadow demons that attacked Kikyou and Kagome?"  
  
InuYasha nodded. "Ya," he whispered, "I can't believe I fell for that."  
  
"Well, Jakotsu fell for it, too."  
  
"That ain't sayin much."  
  
"It doesn't matter anymore anyway," Miroku smiled. "The shadows were destroyed and Kagome and Kikyou will be alright."  
  
InuYasha smiled. "You're right," he said. "And now we have about four months to practice for the Battle of the Bands contest." He said that last part with much zeal.  
  
Miroku sighed. "You're still thinking about that even at a time like this?"  
  
"You said yourself that Kikyou is going to be okay," InuYasha answered, standing up. "And so she'll wanna beat the snot outta us in the competition. And we can't let that happen."  
  
"Well," Miroku said, also standing up, "It's nice to know that not much has changed."  
  
The two of them went to go check up on the others. Shippou had caught a cold from standing in all that snow, and was wrapped up in a blanket, sleeping on the couch. Kirara was curled up beside him. Kagome was still at the hospital, but it was the day that she would be let out. Nobunaga had returned home to Tsuyu and his pet monkey Hiyoshimaru, and the Shichinin-tai members had gone home as well. Kouga, Kagura and the three kids had gone to the wolves' cave to recuperate from the battle, and then they went to Kagura's house.  
  
Kohaku had heard that there was a new gaming station that was out today: the Play Master 8000. In a flash, he, Kanna and Hakudoushi went to the store to purchase it and a bunch of games. They left Kagura and Kouga alone.  
  
"I know," she said, "Let's play a game." She walked to the closet, and selected a game: Scrabble. "You know how to play this right?"  
  
"No," Kouga smiled, "Not really..."  
  
Kagura sighed and began to tell him the rules of the game. "Got it?" she asked, he nodded. It was her turn to go first. She looked at her letters and found the perfect starting word: 'love.' She placed down her letters, grabbed her new letters and placed them on her tile stand. "Your go," she said.  
  
Kouga studied his letters carefully, and placed down his word: 'blind.'  
  
After a while, they had gotten a good amount of words on the board. Kagura's words had much sentimental value and subconsciously showed her feelings towards Kouga. Her last word that she placed down was 'us.' Kouga studied the board and smiled. He took all seven of his tiles and, using the 'us' he spelled out the word 'oblivious.'  
  
(I'll say!)  
  
"Does that mean I win?" Kouga smiled.  
  
Sesshoumaru, Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru all sat in the big comfy chairs of Sesshoumaru's mansion, sipping grape juice out of brandy glasses. "Yes, yes," Sesshoumaru began, "The Pacific Rim economy is still a tad shaky for my taste."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kageroumaru exclaimed. "Anyways, I wanna thank you guys for, you know, not killing me."  
  
"No problem," Sesshoumaru said, taking another sip of his grape juice. "Now, could you help me with a small task?"  
  
"Hmm?" Kageroumaru muttered as he was taking a sip of his own grape juice.  
  
(Welch's concord grape juice: ruins any dress for any occasion.)  
  
"I want you to help me teach Juuroumaru how to be more civilized."  
  
Upon hearing this, Kageroumaru spit out the juice all over the rug. "What?" he shouted, coughing. "What did you say?"  
  
"I want you to help me teach-"  
  
"Ya, ya, I heard all that." Kageroumaru leaned back in his chair. "Teaching Juuroumaru how to be 'civilized' is no easy thing, isn't that right Juuroumaru?" Juuroumaru smiled and nodded. "There," he continued, "You see?"  
  
"I still think it can be done," Sesshoumaru said. "And it would be a great accomplishment. So will you help me?"  
  
Kageroumaru turned to his brother and asked, "What do you think, Juuroumaru? Wanna be more like Lord Auttumnbottom over there?" He pointed to Sesshoumaru. Juuroumaru pondered the question for a few minutes, and then finally he nodded. "There you have it then," the little snake demon muttered. "All I can say is 'good luck,'"  
  
"Thanks," Sesshoumaru said as he watch Juuroumaru start to lick his glass clean of the juice. "I'll need it."  
  
The nurse finished making the bed by tucking the sheets in between the mattresses, then folded the top down to make it look nice and welcoming. The patient that had stayed in this room for only a few days was already healed and healthy enough to go home and continue her life.  
  
Everything had finally returned more or less to normal for Kagome. All her friends were with her, there were no more enemies to worry about and they could finally begin to practice for the contest.  
  
Sango had come to pick her up. She arrived in a sleek, sexy red Mustang. Kagome took one look at it, and she almost had to go back in the hospital due to shock. "How the heck did you pay for that?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Well," Sango chuckled, "I AM the daughter of a very wealthy demon slayer. Come on, we gotta get going." Kagome nodded and got in the car.  
  
"Roomy," she said. "And comfy. I bet Miroku's really jealous."  
  
Sango smiled as she shifted the gear and pressed the gas pedal down. The engine purred. "I wouldn't have it any other way." They arrived at InuYasha's place only a few minutes later. Kagome jumped out of the car and ran to him. He was unprepared for the force of impact and, as the law of inertia says, objects in motion tend to want to stay in motion, so the two of them went flying.  
  
"Good to see you, too," InuYasha smiled as they lay on the ground. Kagome hugged him tightly and nuzzled up to him.  
  
For the first time since the attack, Kikyou opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Suikotsu's smiling face looking down at her. "Suikotsu?" she whispered. "Is it really you?"  
  
He nodded. "I'm sorry I ran out on you like that," he said, taking her hand.  
  
"It's okay," she said. "It was expected."  
  
"But that doesn't make it right," he sighed. "I had a long time to think about us, Kikyou. And I was hoping that we could just put all of this behind us and start all over again."  
  
"What are you saying?" Kikyou's eyes lit up. "Do you want us to get back together?"  
  
Suikotsu smiled. Kikyou gasped and bolted up and hugged him. "I love you, Kikyou," he whispered in her ear.  
  
"I love you, too," she said in between tears.  
  
"And don't worry about the baby," he said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'll try to help you with that as much as I can."  
  
Kikyou slowly pulled away from him. "What baby?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Suikotsu was confused. How could she not know? "You haven't been awake since that attack, have you?" Kikyou shook her head.  
  
"No I haven't," she whispered. "Oh god... I'm... I'm pregnant?" Suikotsu nodded. "With Jakotsu's...?" Suikotsu nodded again. Kikyou looked straight ahead, and then fell back onto her pillow. "Why me?" she muttered. 


	33. Practice

(OmegaNihon)  
  
(InuYasha walked up to Kikyou's door and knocked on it. She answered and smiled at him. It wasn't really a welcoming smile, though. She let him in and they went into the living room. She handed him a piece of paper describing the requirements for a Battle of the Bands contest that was to be held in six months. She told him to get his band ready by Friday, and to enter the contest. The bet had been made.)  
  
Miroku and Kouga both learned to play their electric guitars at an early age. Nobunaga was only just starting to learn to play bass. And InuYasha and Kagome had also only just started their singing careers. These five people would be the start of their band.  
  
Sesshoumaru had been able to play the piano almost all his life. His talents gave the band an interesting sound, something different from just ordinary punk rock. Juuroumaru also had been playing the drums from an early age. And because of his energy, he could keep up a wild solo for at least half an hour. Sango's contribution to their band was only small, but she played her violin well. Along side of Kagome, they brought a calm soothing sound to their music. And finally, Shippou, who was being taught to play the keyboard by Kanna, wrapped up the band members and made the band complete.  
  
And now with most of their distractions out of the way, they would finally be able to start to practice, and write their song. But just as they were about to start, there was a knock on the door. Kagome went to answer it and was shocked to see whom it was.  
  
"Queen La Saia!" she exclaimed. "To what do we owe this honor?"  
  
La Saia smiled. "I heard that you destroyed the ice fortress." Kagome nodded her head, and led the queen in. She brought her to their practice room and everyone else was just as startled to see her.  
  
"Hello all," she smiled. "Is it true? Is the fortress gone?"  
  
"Yup," InuYasha said triumphantly. "Just glad to be of service."  
  
(Wait... that doesn't sound like me...)  
  
"I mean, where's our reward?" he exclaimed.  
  
"InuYasha," Kagome muttered, "Sit!" And he came crashing down. She turned to La Saia and apologized for his rude behavior.  
  
"That is okay," she chuckled. "I do not believe that I knew you were a band."  
  
"Would you like us to perform a song for you?" Kagome inquired.  
  
"That would be lovely," the queen smiled, and took a seat to watch. Sesshoumaru took his seat at his beautiful grand piano and began to play their song's introductory solo. Juuroumaru then joined in with a soft drum solo. Sango and Kagome then began to play their violins. And finally, the song's intro was finished.  
  
Kouga, Miroku and Nobunaga played a couple of rifts as Juuroumaru's drumming became a little more to his taste. And finally, InuYasha began to sing. Their song was called Kurayami. It wasn't bad, in their opinion. It was no X Japan, but still.  
  
The song ended, and La Saia stood up, applauding. "That was wonderful," she said, smiling. "You definitely have talent."  
  
(ChikaraEki...)  
  
Kagura's singing talent was amazing. And backed up with Kanna, Hakudoushi and Kohaku on keyboards, the sound of their music was breath taking. All four of them had talent. But would it be enough to make it through the Battle of the Bands contest? Only time would tell.  
  
Kagura knew that she could sing. When she was younger, she took lessons to improve her abilities, and they definitely paid off. At first, she didn't really want to sing, but her siblings pushed her. And it was thanks to all of that that she was as good as she was.  
  
Kanna had learned to play the keyboard at an early age as well. She found technology to be very interesting, and she also loved music. Putting the two together was what made her as talented as she was. Kohaku and Hakudoushi also found it interesting, so they asked her to teach them. She accepted, and then they became the three top keyboardists in their village. Granted, they were the only three in their village...  
  
ChikaraEki never originally planned to go public in any way. Kagura and the kids were happy just performing for themselves, and maybe their closest friends. They didn't want all the hassle of being famous, although the dream was tempting.  
  
The contest was to be in a little less than four months. And with the ice army out of the way, they now had time to practice. They had selected their song that they would play at the contest. Inspired by the work of Shiina Nagano, their song was called Rizumu: Doko Demo Aru. At first, they didn't like it much, but they kept improving it. Finally, it was complete, lyrics and all.  
  
"So then," Hakudoushi said, "Do you think we're ready?"  
  
Kagura plugged her microphone into the outlet. "Well, no," she said. "We still need to practice it a bit more."  
  
"It's not like we don't have time," Kohaku said, switching on his keyboard.  
  
"You're right," Kagura said, "But it's better to be safe than sorry."  
  
Kanna sat down at her keyboard. "Ready?" she asked. The others nodded.  
  
Hakudoushi tapped a few keys of his board, and then shouted, "Hit it!" Techno music filled the room. Kanna started in with the bass beat, the Hakudoushi joined in with the other sounds, and Kohaku started his opening piano solo. When he had finished, Kagura began to sing with her beautiful voice. In just a mere four months, they would be doing this live. But that never crossed their minds once.  
  
(Yogore no Yurikago)  
  
Originally, Kikyou's band had Naraku playing bass guitar. But since he was no longer around, they had to make a shift. Renkotsu agreed to take his place. And so, their band was now Bankotsu on electric guitar, Renkotsu on bass, Mukotsu on keyboards, and Suikotsu had returned to play drums. There was only one problem: the vocals.  
  
Kikyou was the band's background singer, but by the time the contest would arrive, she would be in no shape to perform on stage. Finally, they agreed to record her background voice now, and play it during the actual performance. It was they only way they could do it.  
  
Writing songs was not particularly difficult for them, seeing as they had already put out a full-length pilot CD. It wasn't exactly Dani Filth himself, but it was pretty good. For this competition, they wrote an original song entitled Punishment.  
  
The drums were set up, and Suikotsu took his place at them. The keyboard had already been turned on, and Mukotsu took his seat. Bankotsu and Renkotsu walked onto the stage with their guitars and tuned them. The song began with a little eerie sounding music played by Mukotsu. Then Suikotsu, Bankotsu and Renkotsu joined in with their black metal style intro.  
  
Finally, last to appear on the stage was Jakotsu, microphone in hand. His singing style was a little different from that of Kagura or InuYasha. His demonic screeching gave their band a true black metal quality. The song finished. "How was that, Kikyou?" he asked.  
  
She looked over her band and smiled. "Excellent," she said, putting her hands together. That was the first time she ever complimented them on their first try of any song. The others smiled too.  
  
(Must be the sudden change in hormones...)  
  
(Dénouement)  
  
And with that, they continued to practice and live out their lives. La Saia went to visit the other bands and listened to what they could do. She was very excited to see them perform on the actual stage.  
  
The next four months went by surprisingly quickly. Sesshoumaru and Kageroumaru had succeeded in teaching Juuroumaru how to speak, but he still wasn't exactly snooty dinner party material yet. Hamaya had found an interest in Suikotsu's work and asked him to teach to play the drums. He accepted almost without having to think about it, and soon enough, Hamaya became a pretty good drummer. And as for Kagura and Kouga, she had finally clued him in to how she felt about him... a week before the competition. 


	34. The Contest

"Okay, Kikyou," Bankotsu yelled as he and Renkotsu left the house, "We'll bring you guys back something."  
  
The contest was in two days. Every member of all three bands had become extremely anxious to finally perform for an audience. Final preparations were being organized by the bandleaders as the other members practiced with their final few hours. However, Bankotsu wasn't worried. Perhaps he should have been, but he didn't see this as a big deal. He was the fortunate one.  
  
Kikyou's house was devoid of anything edible, so she sent the two boys to go out for some lunch. As they walked, they thought about what it would be like. What would the contest hold in store for them?  
  
"It'll be a snap," Bankotsu said confidently, "Piece of cake, really."  
  
Renkotsu closed his eyes and sighed. "Bankotsu," he whispered, "This is not just some simple show. This is a worldwide contest that will be broadcasted live on national television. Are you sure you can handle that?"  
  
Bankotsu just smiled. "Don't worry about it!" He put his arms behind his head. "It'll be fun." The rest of the way they were pretty much silent.  
  
They finally arrived at the closest restaurant: an A&W. They entered the building, and walked up to the cashier. She asked them if she could help them as they studied the menu.  
  
"We'll have an Nephew Burger," Renkotsu said, still looking at the menu, "A Great-grandmother Burger, a Long- distant-second-cousin Burger, a Loud-obnoxious-uncle Burger, a Godfather Burger..."  
  
"And an Adopted-son Burger," Bankotsu finished. The cashier asked if that would be everything. They nodded. After a few minutes of waiting, they were handed their lunch, and they left for home.  
  
"Hurry up!" Kagome shouted excitedly at InuYasha as she jumped out of bed and got dressed.  
  
"Your favorite wha?" the drowsy dog demon mumbled as he lifted his head from the pillow. "What's goin on?"  
  
The weird girl let out a squeal of excitement. "It's the day of the competition!" she exclaimed. "So hurry up and get ready!"  
  
After getting dressed, the two dashed to the kitchen to have a quick breakfast, then they headed out the door. But before they got too far, Kagome stopped. "What's wrong?" InuYasha asked as she went back into the house. A few minutes later, she came back out with Shippou sitting on her head.  
  
"Forgot something," Shippou sighed.  
  
The three of them then went to pick up Sango and Miroku. Then they headed to Kouga's cave and found him still asleep. InuYasha tiptoed quietly over to him, then yelled in his ear to wake up. The six of them then went to pick up Nobunaga. And their last stop was Sesshoumaru's.  
  
InuYasha knocked on the door and Jaken answered it. "Ah," he croaked. "Lord Sesshoumaru will be out shortly."  
  
"Where's Juuroumaru?" Kagome asked. Jaken shrugged. She then flashed InuYasha a look of worry.  
  
"Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure he's around somewhere."  
  
A few minutes later, Sesshoumaru and Rin arrived at the door. "Ready to go?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded. "Let's go then."  
  
"Sesshoumaru," Kagome began, "Do you know where Juuroumaru is?" He shook his head.  
  
Then from behind them, an alien voice called out. They all turned around to see Juuroumaru dashing up to them. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "So are we going?"  
  
The others looked at him dumbfounded. "So you can talk now, huh?" InuYasha muttered. "Fun. And to answer your question, yes we're going."  
  
"Looking like this?" the beast boy muttered. "I don't think so."  
  
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. "What's wrong with the way we look?"  
  
"Our band needs an image," Juuroumaru explained. "Don't you agree?"  
  
Kagome and Sango looked over at each other and smiled. "You know what this means?" Kagome asked, and Sango nodded. Then together, they shouted, "Makeover!"  
  
And finally, after much painstaking effort to give themselves an image, OmegaNihon was ready to go out on stage. InuYasha wore black pants with a black silk button-up shirt. He also wore a black headband and dark sunglasses. Kagome and Sango simply wore black dresses and accessorized with gold looped earrings. Shippou didn't think it necessary to really change his appearance, and the rest of the band agreed with him, so they just gave him a pair of stylish glasses. Miroku wore black pants like InuYasha, and a black vest over a white shirt. He also streaked a little bit of brown dye into his hair. Kouga, however, wanted more of a punk look, so he died his hair a dark green and wore a black headband and black wristbands. As for actual clothing, he wore a black leather vest with no shirt underneath, and black leather pants. Nobunaga went for a sort of semi-punk look with torn denim pants and a denim jacket. Like Shippou, Sesshoumaru also did not believe he had to change his appearance much. Although, the orange dye streaked into his hair was a little iffy. And lastly, as for Juuroumaru, he wore a black spiked choker around his neck, and spiked wristbands. He wore leather pants and no shirt. They had their image. They were ready.  
  
Downtown Tokyo was the place to be on that fine spring day. The curious thing was, however, that not all of the snow had quite melted yet. But no one seemed to even see it. Their minds were focused on the day's big event: the Battle of the Bands contest. Crowds of people had gathered around the auditorium's parking lots and had begun to take their seats in the grand room that would house the event.  
  
Back stage, several different bands from all around the world had come to partake. Most of them were looking extremely anxious, but that was to be expected of course. This whole contest was going to be broadcasted live to millions of people!  
  
Because of La Saia's royal background, her and her friends were given special seating right at the front of the room, just behind the celebrity judge's table. So, right there she sat, along with Jaken, Rin, Tsuyu, Ginta, Hakkaku and Kageroumaru. Kirara curled up on Rin's lap; Hiyoshimaru sat on Tsuyu's shoulder and Myouga watched from atop Ginta's head. Kikyou, Ginkotsu, Kyoukotsu and Hamaya sat just a little further back from them.  
  
Once all the murmuring of the crowd had finally stopped, the lights began to dim. From backstage, a man dressed in a white suit with a really bad haircut came and stood on center stage.  
  
"Good afternoon, Tokyo Japan!" he shouted into his mike. "I am Ryan Kaisui, and I'll be your host for this contest. Before we move on, I would like to introduce the panel of judges we have lined up."  
  
There were nine judges in total. As Mr. Kaisui introduced them, they stood up and smiled or waved to the audience. From the Japanese punk band of the 80s and early 90s, X Japan, was Yoshiki Hayashi, Toshimitsu Deyama and Hideto Matsumoto. Next on the panel were Minami Takayama and Shiina Nagano of the new-age band Two-Mix. And from one of the biggest current metal bands in America, Cradle of Filth: Dani Filth and Sarah Deva. Closing up the panel were Jack Black and Simon Cowell.  
  
"And now," Mr. Kaisui continued, "Without further ado, let's get this party started!" He introduced the first band that would be performing. They were from America, he said, and the name of their band was Pekk. They were an average lower-middle class family from Quahog, Rohde Island. On vocals was the father, Peter Griffin, on guitar was his son Chris, on bass was the daughter, Meg and on drums was the mother, Lois.  
  
(Hahahahahahahahaha... sweet!)  
  
They came onto the stage. Each one had yellow, green and red face paint on, mon, and was wearing black and silver ponchos. "Okay everybody?" Peter asked, signaling to start the song. "Hit it!" And with that, the show had begun. People cheered to their music. It was the perfect way to get the contest on a roll. The audience knew they would not be disappointed.  
  
Meanwhile, backstage, all the other bands watched on in anticipation, all except for ChikaraEki. Kagura didn't even try to listen to the other bands' music. She didn't feel that she had to. Kanna and the boys on the other hand found the different styles of music all very interesting. Rock bands, mellow bands, and heavy metal bands. This contest had it all. And pretty soon, it would be their turn to perform, but not before their friends got a chance.  
  
InuYasha gulped as he heard Mr. Kaisui announce the name of their band, OmegaNihon. "Ready?" he asked his band members. They all nodded and went to center stage. 


	35. Songs

"Kurayami" by OmegaNihon  
  
Kurayami wa kokoro wo kakomi  
Ore no sakebi kikarenai  
(Darkness surrounds my heart)  
(My scream is not heard)  
  
Kasukenai, suitai suru naa  
Zankoku na sekai kizutsukeru  
Unmei wa, naze ore ni taishite aru ka  
(I am not helped, I decay)  
(The cruel world hurts me)  
(Why is Fate against me?)  
  
Surrounded by sadness  
Ore no kokoro naite iru  
Miru dekiru subete wa, kuroi  
Shinitai naa...  
(Surrounded by sadness)  
(My heart is crying)  
(Everything that I can see is black)  
(I want to die...)  
  
Raito ga kurayami wo tsukitoosu  
Ore ga kibou no bikou wo miru  
Bishou suru, warau  
(The light pierces the darkness)  
(I wish to look at the light)  
(I smile, and laugh)  
  
Anta no me no naka de  
Atarashii hi wo miru  
(In your eyes)  
(I see a new day)  
  
Kurayami wa wakete iru  
Raito akiraka ni sareru  
Bishou suru, warau  
(The darkness divides)  
(The light becomes clear)  
(I smile, and laugh)  
  
InuYasha wiped the sweat from his brows and smiled with confidence as the entire audience cheered and applauded their song. Once they had settled down, it would be the judges' turn to give some constructive criticism. For the most part, they seemed to enjoy it. The music definitely had a good quality to it, and InuYasha's voice was pretty good. The nine of them left the stage with their heads held high.  
  
As they walked back to backstage, a female member from another band scoffed. She was a redhead and had red clips in her hair. Her name was Asuka Langley Soryu. "They must be really easy to please, those judges," she muttered to her band mates, Shinji, Touji and Rei. "Are you guys ready for this?"  
  
"Of course, Asuka," Shinji mumbled.  
  
The girl gave him a cold stern look. "You had better be," she growled as she heard Mr. Kaisui announce the name Erste, which was their band. "We're next, c'mon." The four of them approached the stage. Asuka and Touji played guitar and bass, respectively. Rei played drums and Shinji played the cello and sang. They began to play.  
  
Several more bands also had their time to shine on the stage. Many of them were extremely talented, too. There was the odd band or two that didn't quite make the cut, but the audience was really having too much fun to care. So were most of the bands for that matter.  
  
As that last band walked to the backstage area, Mr. Kaisui introduced the next band. "Next we have Ms. Kikyou's band, Yogore no Yurikago!" The audience applauded as the black metal band took the stage. Each member, save for Jakotsu, was dressed in simple black gothic clothing, and their Shichinin-tai markings on their faces were painted black. Suikotsu sat as his drums, his hair spiked up. Mukotsu took his place at the keyboard and started the eerie solo. Bankotsu and Renkotsu held their guitars and smiled, baring fake fangs. Lastly, Jakotsu took center stage. In the past four months he had let his hair grow longer, and had taken it out of the ponytail that it was usually in. He wore black leather pants, and over a pure black sweatshirt, he wore a t-shirt made of chainmail. He had painted his face a pale white, with a little black around his eyes.  
  
"Punishment" by Yogore no Yurikago  
  
The fair young maiden whom I sought  
Fell through the hollow grounds  
And when she rose to right herself  
She heard the ghastly sounds  
  
Bathed in moonlight were the trees  
The howling wolves did screech  
Monsters from the depths of hell  
To spare she did beseech  
  
Claws of iron and silver  
Did scratch upon her skin  
And when she tried to escape them  
Turned she into their kin  
  
Whispered they into the night  
Calling for new flesh  
Perhaps to nibble on a wench  
Who's skin had just turned fresh  
  
Fell gently did the snow  
On this midwinter night  
Eerily began to glow  
And showed the world a fright  
  
Dripping skins of victims many  
Did the village see  
As panic washed all over them  
They sought their help from me  
  
"The Devil has damned you" was my reply  
To convince me was a must  
"A befitting punishment" said I  
"For all your evil lust"  
  
Whispered they into the night  
Calling for new flesh  
Perhaps to nibble on a wench  
Who's skin had just turned fresh  
  
All went silent in the night  
As they had turned to mush  
Even children began to die  
For them, I muttered, "hush"  
  
I walked along the gravestones  
Lantern light turned low  
Watching for the many creatures  
Of which I need to know  
  
But I too have secrets  
And was pulled to the dark  
Now I am a lifeless thing  
Like a rotting piece of bark  
  
The audience went wild with applause yet again. One thing was going through Jakotsu's mind as he and his band mates left the stage.  
  
(You love me! You really love me!)  
  
"And now," Mr. Kaisui said with a sad tone, "I hate to tell you this, but we only have one more band left. After their performance, the judges will get together and vote on the winner of the contest. So now, let's hear it for the final band: ChikaraEki!"  
  
The audience applauded as Kanna, followed by Kohaku and Hakudoushi walked onto the stage. Their keyboards had already been set up. Kohaku sat at his and switched it on, and Hakudoushi did the same with his own. Kanna flipped hers on too, and then paused to look over the audience. So many smiling faces she could see. So many happy people, made happy by the music of their friends, and soon them themselves.  
  
(They were finally there, at the center of the stage. All of their practice and hard work had gotten them there. There had been weeks of practice and hard times, but that was all behind them now. Now they were finally about to perform one of the greatest concerts ever...)  
  
Kagura then came from backstage, with her microphone held in her hand. Kanna watched as her little sister took her spot at front of the stage. She smiled and started the song.  
  
"Rizumu: Domo Demo Aru" by ChikaraEki  
  
Kimi ga kutsuu wo kanjite toki  
Tan ni mate, watashi kitarou  
Kimi ga kodoku desu toki  
Watashi ga kimi ni isogou  
(When you are feeling hurt)  
(Simply wait, I will come)  
(When you are lonely)  
(I will rush to you)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Feel the power, taste the strength  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Feel the power, taste the strength)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I rescue you)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Feel it flow, all my love  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Feel it flow, all my love)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I rescue you)  
  
Tokidoki sekai wa han suru  
Tan ni mate, watashi kitarou  
Subete ga barabara ni natte mo  
Watashi ga kimi ni isogou  
(Sometimes the world rebels)  
(Simply wait, I will come)  
(All becomes loose)  
(I will rush to you)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Feed your hunger, bite your fear  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Feed your hunger, bite your fear)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I will rush to you)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Watch it go, all my pain  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Watch it go, all my pain)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I rescue you)  
  
Osorenasaruna  
Kizutsukinasaruna  
Shinobinasaruna  
(Do not fear)  
(Do not be hurt)  
(Do not hide)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Feel the power, taste the strength  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Feel the power, taste the strength)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I rescue you)  
  
Rizumu: doko demo aru  
Feel it flow, all my love  
Rizumu ga subete aru  
Watashi ga kimi wo sukuu  
(Rhythm: it's anywhere)  
(Feel it flow, all my love)  
(Rhythm is everything)  
(I rescue you)  
  
For the final time that night, the audience applauded. ChikaraEki left to the backstage. That was that. Everyone had performed, everyone was tired, but most of all, everyone wanted to know who would win! The judges would retire for a while and then look back on the contest's events and pick a winner. The winner would be announced the following day.  
  
InuYasha, Jakotsu and Kagura stood together as the other bands rushed frantically to get out so that they could have the night to party. "You know," InuYasha muttered, "You guys weren't bad up there."  
  
"Neither were you," Kagura smiled. "And you all looked so cute in your little outfits."  
  
InuYasha blushed. "Uhh, thanks," he said, smiling. Jakotsu giggled.  
  
"Come on then," Kagura continued, "We've got a party to get to!"  
  
The three bands, OmegaNihon, ChikaraEki and Yogore no Yurikago, left the auditorium to celebrate their achievements together. And as they were doing that, their friends in the audience seats were also trying to get out of all the madness. People cluttering here and there, standing in front of important doorways that lead to pizza, parties and best of all, freedom.  
  
Tsuyu looked up from her seat. "Oh," she exclaimed, "Where's Lady La Saia?" None of them had seen her leave. 


	36. Parties, Decisions, Awakenings & Winners

(The party)  
The hotel clerk had never seen something like that before. A beautiful, young, wealthy looking woman being escorted by two figures in dark black cloaks; their heads were hooded and their faces masked. The woman claimed that she was a queen of some far off land. The clerk scoffed at that idea. He figured that someone had had a little bit too much to drink at the contest. He gave them the room key, and they were off. Hardly a word was spoken.  
  
"My Lady," one of the figures began, "Are you sure it is alright for you to be here?"  
  
La Saia smiled. "Of course," she said, "Don't worry about it. I've got everything under control."  
  
The other cloaked figure then spoke, "Do you think they know?"  
  
La Saia stopped smiling. "I do believe that they do not. Don't you worry either; our cover's not been blown yet."  
  
They arrived at their luxurious hotel suite and found their luggage had already been put away. La Saia sat down on her bed, then laid down. She had forgotten what a bed this comfortable was like. All the beds that they had for her down... there... were just not up to the standards of a queen. They were uncomfortable, lacked in sufficient blanketing and pillows, and worst of all, they were cold; too cold for her body, too cold for THAT body...  
  
After the queen had fallen asleep, the two cloaked guards went down to the bar, where all the people from the contest were celebrating. "Look at them," the taller one whispered to the shorter one, "They are like animals."  
  
"It's the animals that I'm interest in," the shorter one whispered back. "Perhaps I'll find something to take my mind off my little lovers problem."  
  
"How's that going anyways?" the taller one asked. The shorter did not answer, as the waitress interrupted them.  
  
"Table for two?" she asked and then led them to their table. "I'll bring your menus in a sec, we're really busy tonight, as you can see."  
  
The taller one removed his mask and placed it face down in front of him on the table. "Keep a look out for you-know- who." Once he had scanned the room and was certain that 'you- know-who' was not there, he removed his hood, revealing his white skin, long graying hair and eyes as dark as the night. Lord Gyouka had returned. He turned to his partner, who had removed the facemask and the hood as well. It was Frostbyte.  
  
"Lord Gyouka," Frostbyte began, "Are you sure we've got this all under control?  
  
Gyouka sighed. "Well," he muttered, "To be honest, no. KooriKisaki's getting pretty impatient with this whole ordeal, and plus we've still got those punks to deal with."  
  
The waiter brought them their menus and a free glass of beer, for the festivities. "We'll get them," Frostbyte said, looking over her menu. "We've done stuff like this before."  
  
"Nothing this serious, though," Gyouka warned. "And then there's that Naraku."  
  
"Don't trust him either, huh?"  
  
"No... No I do not..." He took a sip of his beer.  
  
(The decision)  
"I remember the audience going just wild for that one metal band," Dani Filth mentioned as he and his fellow judges reviewed the contest. "What was they're name? Yogore...?"  
  
"They were Yogore no Yurikago," Yoshiki said. "Dani has a good point, Simon, they did have talent."  
  
"See," Simon said, "This is why I'm an official judge and you are just on tour with me." He studied his notes that he took during the performances. "This Yogore no blah, blah, blah wasn't what I would call star material. The music was too loud, for one thing."  
  
"Name something else," Dani said. "You cannot blame the 'noise' on them. It's obvious that the sound fixtures were whacked."  
  
Sarah looked up. "Whacked?" she giggled.  
  
"Fine," Dani muttered. "They were fucked."  
  
"Listen," Simon continued, "I just didn't think they were good. And I'm sure more people in this room will agree with me." In the silence that was his reply, the sound of chirping crickets couldn't even be heard.  
  
"Moving on," Jack Black said. "I say we go for that one band with all the chicks."  
  
"Why?" Yoshiki asked.  
  
"'Cause they're chicks!" Mr. Black responded. "And they were good singers too."  
  
"Well," Ms. Minami Takayama began, "I really enjoyed that band. I believe it was the second one?"  
  
"OmegaNihon," Yoshiki said, and Minami nodded.  
  
"Yes, they were good, were they not?"  
  
Nods and murmurs of agreement was Minami's answer from the group. They continued sorting through the bands, trying to come up with the top five. Finally, they had it. OmegaNihon, ChikaraEki and Yogore no Yurikago all had made the list. From here, the judges would have to break it down into the top two. Unfortunately, Fate did not hold favor for InuYasha or Jakotsu. They did not make it into the last two, but because they were in the final five, they got a conciliation prize of five hundred dollars per person in their band. The final two bands that would be coming back in the morning to play one more song and see a show by the celebrity judges themselves were Erste and ChikaraEki.  
  
(Awakenings)  
Miroku opened his eyes. His headache was nowhere near as bad as he thought it would be, but it was still to the point where even the little sounds triggered it. Last night was the best, he thought. He couldn't even remember a thing. It was sweet. Until, of course, he noticed that he was not alone in his bed.  
  
Sleeping next to him was a woman with dark hair; her back turned towards him. Miroku gulped. Then the woman turned on her back and revealed herself to be Sango.  
  
(Oh, great! First she won't let me get anywhere near her, then when she does, I'm to drunk to remember anything!)  
  
He sighed and laughed, then rested his bed back on the pillow and closed his eyes. When he stopped moving, Sango carefully got up and slid from under the blankets. She was fully dressed.  
  
(That was mean, but a girl's still gotta have fun.)  
  
InuYasha opened his eyes, too, and found himself in an unfamiliar room. Then he got up and realized that he was just upside down.  
  
(God what the hell did we do last night!)  
  
Indeed, they had all had an interesting night the previous night. Mukotsu awoke to find himself in bed with three extremely beautiful young ladies. Juuroumaru awoke high in a branch of a tree outside. And Renkotsu found himself on the floor of the ladies bathroom... of the hotel five blocks down the road from the one that he was supposed to be staying at.  
  
Finally everyone had awoken and gotten together. Everyone, that is, except Nobunaga. "I'll go look for him," Juuroumaru said. He went to Nobunaga's room and found it full of beer cans and bottles littered throughout the entire room. He scanned the mess and found one particularly large pile and walked over to it. "Nobunaga?" he whispered.  
  
Just then, a hand shot up from the center of the pile and stood erect for a few seconds, then crashed down. Juuroumaru threw the bottles and cans off of Nobunaga and helped him to his feet. "I don't remember a thing," he smiled, "And it feels great!" Then his headache triggered and he lost his balance. "So great," he slurred.  
  
"Come on," Juuroumaru exclaimed, "They're announcing the winners today."  
  
(The winner)  
Mr. Kaisui stood at the stage with an envelope in his hand. He scanned the audience for a few seconds, and then began to slowly open the letter. "And the two top bands of the contest are..." He opened the letter, looked at it for a few more seconds for suspense, and then called out the winners. "Erste and ChikaraEki!" The audience went wild with applause as Erste and ChikaraEki approached the stage. "Congratulations," said Mr. Kaisui. "Now, would you like to perform for us one more time?" The two bands accepted in a heartbeat.  
  
After each one had performed their one last song, Mr. Kaisui asked the audience to vote on which one they liked best. The one with the highest amount of votes, obviously, won. But before he announced the winner, the celebrity judges got a chance to perform themselves. X Japan, Cradle of Filth, Two-Mix and Jack Black. The show was a hit.  
  
"And now," Mr. Kaisui continued, "The winner of the Battle of the Bands contest. The winner that you all chose. The winner is," he stopped and looked at his cards for a few seconds, causing more suspense.  
  
Asuka looked over to Kagura. "Good luck," she smiled. Kagura smiled back.  
  
"The winner is," Mr. Kaisui continued, "ChikaraEki!" The audience applauded them as Kagura, Kanna, Kohaku and Hakudoushi approached center stage. "Congratulations," he continued. And for once, Kagura was speechless.  
  
Kanna took the microphone from Mr. Kaisui and said, "We could not have made it this far without any of you. I would personally like to acknowledge the other bands that performed last night, but especially those of our friends: OmegaNihon and Yogore no Yurikago."  
  
"See," Dani muttered to Simon, "Told ya."  
  
And that was that. The big event was finally over. However, there were still many things that had yet to be taken care of. KooriKisaki and her ice empire were still lurking around somewhere, and they had to be stopped. They could not obtain the Shikon Jewel, and InuYasha, Kagura and Jakotsu would not let her. 


	37. The Assassination

It was a cold and eerie night. The clouds passed from the full moon, which cast its light over the true ice fortress. Hyoukoumori bats flew around the fortress' tower. Toukaibutsu patrolled the walls and the perimeter of the area. Deep within the almost pitch black courtyard, Icykal had begun to birth more little ice terrors.  
  
Within the fortress itself, the ice army was busying themselves with final preparations for their queen's newest plan. However, there were some people who did not want to work. They just wanted to play. And that's exactly what they did.  
  
Sekka and Hiten lay in their bed, panting heavily. Beads of sweat dripping from their bodies. She put her hand on his chest and kissed his neck. "I love you, Hiten," she whispered into his ear.  
  
"I love you, too, Sekka," he said, kissed her forehead, then closed his eyes.  
  
Morning brought a cold chill to the area. Fuyuka sat atop the ice tower, watching down on the grounds. He was so focused that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Frostbyte asked, sitting beside him. He pointed to the courtyard where Sekka and Hiten were making out. She laughed. "Oh, I get it. Your jealous."  
  
"It's not fair," he growled. "I was here first. She should be with me, not him."  
  
"And whose fault is that?" Frostbyte said. "Why did you not make your move a long time ago?"  
  
"I was waiting for the right time."  
  
"And now that time has gone." Frostbyte stood up. "Well," she continued, "This much I do know. They actually do have deep feelings of affection for each other. So it would be wise that you stay out of their way." And with that, she left.  
  
Fuyuka's eyes narrowed. "It's not fair," he whispered. Then an idea came to him. He smiled wickedly and stood up. "Maybe things will start to go good for me after all..."  
  
A few hours later, Frostbyte decided to check up on Fuyuka to make sure he was okay. When she got to his door, she heard him speaking with someone. She stayed outside and listened.  
  
"So you can do it then?" Fuyuka asked. His visitors said they could. "Good, and remember, I don't want any of this getting out." His visitors assured him that he was safe, and approached the door. Frostbyte, being a ninja, concealed herself in the shadows as the two men left the room. She could barely make out their features, but one of them had long blue hair, and the other had long red hair.  
  
(Oh god, Fuyuka, please don't have done something stupid...)  
  
She knocked on his door, which startled him. "F- Frostbyte," he stuttered. "You didn't see anyone leave, did you?"  
  
She smiled. "Why, did you have a lady friend come in for a romp?"  
  
"No," he smiled. "Never mind then."  
  
Night fell again. KooriKisaki had asked Sekka to do a special task for her, and so Hiten was left all alone. He sat on her bed and thought about how great his life was going. He had a beautiful girl and so did his brother. He lay down and closed his eyes.  
  
"Ya," he sighed, "Life is great." He dozed off. A few minutes later, he was awakened by a knock at the door. "Go away," he muttered. "I'm sleeping." But the person at the door would not go away. They knocked again. "I said I'm sleeping," he exclaimed. Then finally, the door slowly opened. He bolted up in his bed to see to shadowy figures at his door. "Who the fuck are you?" he exclaimed.  
  
The taller of the two men had blue hair that grew to his waist. His eyes were as red as blood. He wore a sleeveless orange shirt with baggy tan pants. His partner had red hair in a ponytail that reached to a little above his knees. His eyes were as black as night. He wore a pink sleeveless shirt and purple baggy pants. On his right arm, he wore a golden gauntlet. Held in his hand was a long staff made of wood with an orb at the top.  
  
"I said," Hiten repeated, "Who are you?"  
  
"That is of little importance to you," the blue haired man said as he and his partner approached Hiten.  
  
Sekka did not arrive from her task until early the next morning. She crept quietly up to the door so as not to disturb Hiten. She quietly opened the door and peered in. She screamed in terror. Hiten's mangled body lye on the bed, all of the things in the room had been trashed. Bloodstains were everywhere.  
  
She ran over to the body on her bed and knelt beside it, not noticing that her CD player had dropped from her pocket. When it landed, it opened and the CD fell out. But she didn't ever hear the clang sound. She held Hiten's head in her hands, and then began to call for help.  
  
Fuyuka had just so happened to be standing outside the room when he heard the call. He rushed in the room and gasped. He went over to her and knelt beside her. "Who the hell could have done such a thing?" Sekka gave no answer through her sobs.  
  
Two Toukaibutsu entered the room and Fuyuka walked over to them. "I want you to search the area for anyone not of our army or of Naraku. Bring all those that you find back here alive, got it?" The Toukaibutsu grunted and left for their search. Then, Frostbyte entered the scene.  
  
She glared at the sight before her. "Fuyuka," she said, "Take Sekka out of here, I'll see if I can clean this up."  
  
"You sure," Fuyuka said, taking Sekka in his arms. "Okay," he whispered in her ear, "It'll be okay now." He led her out of the room.  
  
Frostbyte turned back to Hiten's body. "Those two men," she said aloud. "I understand now." She looked down and saw Sekka's CD player and the CD. She picked it up and read its title. "Yogore no Yurikago?" she muttered. "What an odd name..."  
  
That evening, the whole group sat around the big bonfire that was cremating Hiten's body. Manten looked into the flames and could not believe that his older brother was in them. Yura tried to comfort him, but it didn't help much. Souten couldn't even look. She sat cross-legged beside Yura and Manten and just stared at the ground. Tears slowly made their way out of her eyes. Kouryuu sat beside her, stunned as she was.  
  
Fuyuka and Sekka sat together. She was resting her head on his shoulder, crying softly. He had his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently. Neither of them heard Frostbyte come up behind them. "Fuyuka?" she whispered, "May I see you in private please?"  
  
"Of course," he said, then turned to Sekka and said, "You gonna be alright?" She nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. He got up and, with Frostbyte, walked to a more private location. "What?" he growled.  
  
"I know about the assassins," she glared.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said.  
  
"The one with the long blue hair and his partner with the long red hair," she whispered angrily. "I saw you talking with them yesterday."  
  
Fuyuka clenched his teeth. "You told me you didn't see anyone!" he growled with frustration.  
  
"I tell you a lot of things," she muttered. "I thought I told you not to interfere with them!"  
  
Fuyuka scoffed. "Well, it's too late now, isn't it?" he smiled, baring his fangs. "And I suggest that you keep your mouth shut, otherwise you'll end up like... him." He pointed to the bonfire.  
  
"I will keep my mouth shut," she said, "If you hire those assassins for another job for me." Fuyuka looked her straight in the eye as she continued her request.  
  
He looked to the ground. "Fine," he grunted. "I'll pay them for your job. Are you happy now?"  
  
Frostbyte turned around and whispered, "Are you?" as she walked away. Fuyuka looked at the ground and sighed. Then he shook his head and went to sit with Sekka.  
  
Frostbyte smiled. "Excellent," she whispered to herself, "Now I will finally have that wind enchantress all to myself, and that wolf boy's head on a stick..." She cackled evilly. 


	38. Harinezumi and Harimogura

The sun was beginning to set and the air was beginning to chill. But Rin didn't mind, she just sat on the swing set in the front yard, swinging slowly back and forth. She looked to the road that went in front of the house and studied it. When she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, she dashed to the front gate excitedly and looked to see what was coming. A red Ford pickup truck.  
  
She sighed and walked slowly back to her swing, head down. She sat back on the swing and began to rock back and forth on it.  
  
"He said he'd come to pick me up," she whispered to herself.  
  
Hakudoushi and the rest of his band had gone on a tour to Kyoto to perform live for an audience. Ever since they had won the contest, they had become very famous. She was happy for them, but she couldn't see them as often as she wanted.  
  
That is, until Hakudoushi made a proposition. He, Kanna and Kohaku had been teaching her how to play the keyboard, like how they taught Shippou. The proposition was: when she was ready, she could join their band if she wanted to.  
  
Tonight, she would give them her answer. She thought long and hard about it, and decided that she would be able to handle it. And plus, she would be with her friends.  
  
Another vehicle approached and slowed down in front of the house. A white stretch limousine. It was ChikaraEki. The door opened, and Hakudoushi jumped out and ran over to her. "Well?" he smiled. "What's the verdict?"  
  
As she told him her answer, Sesshoumaru peeked from the living room window. A smile crept its way across his face.  
  
(She'll be all right...)  
  
The limo pulled up to Kagura's house and its passengers climbed out. Hakudoushi and Rin ran to the front door, while Kanna and Kohaku took things a little more slowly.  
  
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Kohaku said, looking up at the starry night sky. Kanna smiled and nodded.  
  
When they got to the door, Kanna took out her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. Hakudoushi wasted no time in getting inside. "Man," he exclaimed, "Is it good to be home!" He sat down on the couch, and Rin took a seat beside him. "What time did Kagura say she and Kouga'd be back?"  
  
"Not sure," Kohaku said. "They went for a walk in the woods outside of his cave. Might be out all night."  
  
"You know what that means then?"  
  
"No," Kohaku smirked, "But I can make a guess."  
  
Hakudoushi jumped off the couch and ran to the phone. He punched in a random number as the other three kids crowed around him. He motioned for them to be quiet by putting his finger to his mouth. "Yes," he said into the phone with a fake voice, "I would like to speak to a Mr. Jablowme, first name Heywood?"  
  
"Just a sec," the man on the other side of the phone said, "Heywood Jablowme? Heywood Jablowme here? People, Heywood Jablowme!"  
  
The four kids fell to the ground in gales of laughter.  
  
(You're in the forest now...)  
A cool, crisp wind whistled through the trees. All the woodland creatures had already curled up inside their nests and had gone to sleep. The only thing stirring in the entire forest was the couple sitting on the red-and-white-checkered blanket with the picnic basket full of goodies.  
  
(Eh, eh, eh! Booboo!)  
  
Kouga was sitting upright and Kagura was resting her head on his lap. He opened the basket up and picked out a strawberry. Very slowly, he placed it into Kagura's mouth. She smiled at him, and picked out a cherry from the basket and fed it to him. He smiled, and picked out a piece of watermelon. He tried to put it in her mouth, but since it was too big, it didn't work out.  
  
(How's THAT for a sexual innuendo!)  
  
Kagura coughed and spat out some watermelon seeds. Kouga put his hand behind his head and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," he said. She chuckled.  
  
For the next few minutes, they sat in silence, listening to the wind blow. Then he finally conjured up the courage to ask her 'when would it be the night.' But how to phrase it? He didn't want to insult her...  
  
"Kagura," he began, "We've been going out for a few weeks now-"  
  
"Exactly one fort night tonight," she interrupted. "Oh, sorry. You were saying?"  
  
"Uh," he began again, "Yeah. Well, I was just wondering if it's time to go to the next step of our relationship, if you know what I mean..."  
  
"I know exactly what you mean," she said, sitting upright. "The girls and I were having this talk at our last meeting."  
  
"What's with that?" he asked, picking out a sandwich from the basket. "What do you girls do in that, what was it? 'No Boys Club'?"  
  
(InuYasha knocked on the door of the No Boys Club. The sliding peek-hole in the door opened up and Kagome's eyes peered through them. "Uhh," he began, "Ya, I was just wondering what you guys are doing in there..."  
"There are no guys in here!" Kagome snapped. "Now go away! No boys allowed."  
"But," InuYasha stuttered, "Jakotsu's in there!" Kagome just looked at him. "Good point," he sighed and walked away.)  
  
"That is of no concern to you," Kagura said politely, taking the sandwich that was handed to her. "But, I do think that it is time to go to the next level."  
  
Kouga's eyes lit up. "Really?" he exclaimed. He took her hands in his and leaned forward to kiss her, but stopped. He glanced to his left, then to his right.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I smell something coming," he whispered. And as if on queue, a long blue spine pinned one corner of the blanket to the ground. The couple jumped to their feet to see a man with long blue hair standing in front of a tree.  
  
"Greetings," he said. "I take it that you are Kouga of the wolf tribe, and Kagura the wind sorceress, correct?"  
  
"Yeah," Kouga said. "What's it to ya?"  
  
"My name is Harinezumi," said the man. "I have been hired to destroy you, wolf boy, and to take wind girl back to my employer."  
  
"Frostbyte?" Kouga whispered to Kagura, who nodded. "Hate to break it to ya," he said to the man, "But we ain't goin' that easy." He grabbed the handle of his sword and unsheathed it. Kagura flicked her wrist, unfolding her fan.  
  
"Two against one," she said. "Almost doesn't sound fair."  
  
"Two against two, actually," said another voice from behind them. It was the red haired man with the staff. "I am Harimogura. This will be more fair, correct?" He smiled and held his staff out in front of him.  
  
"I'll take Bluey," Kouga whispered to Kagura, "You take Redy. Got it?"  
  
She nodded and spun around to face Harimogura. She flapped her fan a few times and sent a small gust of wind at him. He just laughed, which was exactly what she wanted. The gust of wind then turned into a huge vortex, engulfing him and throwing him into a tree. He simply got up, brushed himself off and chuckled again. "That was fun," he smiled. "But surely you can do better."  
  
Meanwhile, Kouga has his hands full with Harinezumi. The assassin was very fast, maybe even as fast as him. But he still managed to strike him a few times with his sword. His opponent stood in front of him, a large gash on his right arm. But he did not look like he was in pain. He was smiling.  
  
"What the fuck is with these guys?" Kouga whispered to himself. He dashed towards his enemy and tried to slash one more time, but his sword was knocked from his hands. It clattered on the forest floor.  
  
"You cannot beat," Harinezumi said, still smiling, "what cannot be beaten." He then lunged at Kouga, fists together, and landed a punch right on his face. He fell down to the ground. "Idiot."  
  
Kouga spat out a glob of blood, stood up and wiped his mouth. "You, my friend, are the idiot."  
  
"Oh really?" Harinezumi smirked. "And how, pray tell, did you come up with this information?"  
  
"Because," the wolf boy continued, "You obviously do not know who you're messin' with."  
  
The blue haired assassin could barely contain his laughter. But it was cut short when he saw Kouga's fangs and claws grow longer. He ran towards the assassin and slashed at his face, scratching four long marks across it.  
  
Kagura glanced over at him. "Never seen that before," she muttered. Then she got a face full of fist.  
  
"You should pay more attention to your surroundings," Harimogura taunted. "What is going on over there is of no concern to you. It is me who you have to be dealing with." He gripped his staff tightly and twirled it around above his head. The orb at the end of it began to glow brighter and brighter. Then, without warning, a huge flash of light burst through the forest. Kagura had to shield her eyes from it; it was so intense.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. But when she looked over to her opponent, he was no longer there. Neither was Harinezumi. "What's going on? Have they left?"  
  
Kouga balled his hands into fists. "No," he said through clenched teeth. "I can still smell them." 


	39. New Players of the Game

The cool, crisp wind suddenly turned violent. The white-and-red-checkered blanket flew away, and the basket tipped over, spilling all its contents onto the wet dirt. Branches began to sway with such force that some eventually broke right off the tree. Kouga and Kagura were obviously not dealing with two ordinary assassins.  
  
"Where did they go?" Kagura shouted, trying to beat the volume of the wind. "Have they left?"  
  
"No," Kouga said. "No, I can still smell them."  
  
Then, without warning, the wind stopped. The branches lay still. The blanket sat in a bundle, motionless. Silence filled the forest.  
  
"What's going on?" Kagura demanded. Kouga did not give her a reply. The assassins were playing with them, and they both knew it. Their eyes darted around, searching for a clue as to where their enemies may be hiding. But they could see only the blackness between the trees. Kouga sheathed his sword.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kagura whispered. "Those creeps are still out there."  
  
"No they're not," he said. "I can't smell them anymore. They must have left." He laughed. "I guess they realized that they're no match for us after all."  
  
"You're way too overconfident," she smiled. Then her expression became that of concernment.  
  
(Kouga can no longer smell them, but does that mean they've really left?)  
  
She shifted her weight from one foot to the next. After a few minutes, nothing had happened, so they decided that maybe the assassins really had left after all. She walked over to the blanket and picked it up. Then she walked over to the basket to salvage whatever she could from it. "Let's go home," she said. "I'm way too tired." Kouga nodded in agreement, and the two of them left the forest to go to his cave.  
  
When they were gone, the assassins rematerialized from out of nowhere.  
  
"This was almost too easy, Harimogura," the blue haired man chuckled.  
  
"Much easier, all-mighty Harinezumi," the red haired man said, "than attacking the real threat: The Autobot's moon base!" He stopped, shook his head, and then said, "I mean their house!"  
  
"You're an idiot Harimogura," the blue haired man said. "But enough referencing some old 80s sci-fi movie. We've got a job to do!" The two men dematerialized once again.  
  
Meanwhile, Kouga and Kagura had arrived back at the cave, and were shocked to see it empty. They looked inside, and around the outside of the cave and could find no trace of the wolves at all. "This is insane," Kouga muttered to himself.  
  
"Maybe they knew we would want some time alone and left," Kagura proposed.  
  
Kouga shook his head. "That was a last minute decision, remember?" He stopped suddenly and looked around. "I can smell 'em again," he whispered. Kagura brandished her fan. They both looked around and saw nothing. Then a loud crash came from within the cave, and they went to investigate.  
  
When they were at the back of the cave, they noticed a sweet smell coming from all around. "Smells like nectar," Kagura said. "Have you been making honey?"  
  
"Ha ha," Kouga said flatly. "This is too weird." Kagura nodded in agreement.  
  
From a small crack in the wall, a bee flew out. They followed it to the entrance to the cave and saw that the sun had finally come up. It was dawn. "Wow," Kagura smiled. "Were we really up all night?"  
  
Kouga was just about to answer, but the bee landed on his nose. He was just about to flick it off, when a long red whip lashed out of nowhere and struck the bee. But it wasn't a whip. It was a long red tongue. Kouga and Kagura looked up to see that they were standing underneath a giant echidna, and the light that they thought was the sun was actually coming from its belly. It lashed its claws at them, but they jumped out of the way. It turned around and fired a few of its spines at them, but to no avail.  
  
"Shit," Kouga said. "It smells just like the guy you were fighting."  
  
"An echidna demon?" Kagura asked. "Didn't see that one coming."  
  
The echidna lashed its tongue out at them, but struck dirt instead. Kagura blew a gust of razor sharp wind at the tongue and cut off its tip. The echidna screamed in pain and lashed frantically at her with its claws. She just jumped out of the way and let out a volley of more razor sharp wind, cutting the creature up into little bits.  
  
"That was fun," she smirked as the light from the echidna disappeared.  
  
"It ain't over yet," Kouga said. "I can smell the other one coming."  
  
"I'll let you take care of it," she smiled. "Have fun."  
  
"Gee," he said, rolling his eyes. "Thanks."  
  
The trees in front of them blew away as several spines thrashed their way through. Standing in the new clearing was a giant hedgehog demon. It took one look at the mutilated body of its partner and let out an enormous growl of anger. It rolled itself into a ball and hurdled itself towards Kouga with much speed. He just barely managed to get out of the way.  
  
The hedgehog doubled back on him and fired out a few spines in all directions. "Fool," it growled in a deep, demonic voice. "Even you cannot outrun me!"  
  
"Would you take that bet?" Kouga smiled.  
  
The hedgehog glowered at him. "Gladly," it snarled.  
  
"Great!" the young wolf demon shouted excitedly. "Then I challenge you to a race around the world!" Kagura sweatdropped.  
  
"You really are a fool," the hedgehog demon said. "In fact, I don't even think you're worth my time anymore."  
  
"Pity," Kouga whispered. "'Cause you're time is now officially up." And with that, he leapt up with his sword in hand and brought it right down into the demon's forehead. It shouted in pain and fell to the ground. And as its flesh rotted away into the earth, the surrounding area began to shatter, and the real world was revealed to them.  
  
"Just as I thought," Kagura said. "They must have teleported us into some parallel universe or something."  
  
"Do we even know about parallel universes yet?" Kouga pondered.  
  
Kagura laughed. "Let's just go home." Kouga nodded and they both went back to the wolf cave.  
  
(The ice fortress...)  
  
Frostbyte bashed open the doors to Fuyuka's room. He jumped out of his bed and demanded to know what the hell she was doing. "Your assassins are dead," she yelled.  
  
"What?" he exclaimed. "Kouga and Kagura beat them?"  
  
"It would seem so," Frostbyte sighed. "But don't worry. Naraku and KooriKisaki have just made yet another plan to totally fuck our enemies over."  
  
"Oh?" Fuyuka said, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell." Frostbyte smiled wickedly and began to tell him of the new plan.  
  
(The Exterminator's village...)  
  
A robed being walked up to the village gates and asked for the gateman to let him in. "I'm sorry, sir," the gateman said, "But I cannot just let anyone in here, you understand."  
  
"I do," the robed man said, "And I'm sorry, too." He unleashed a wave of energy to the gateman, and he melted into a puddle of red goo. "No human tells me what to do." He entered the village and walked into the first home that he saw. A family had just sit down to eat dinner when he burst in on them.  
  
"Now see here," the man of the house said with rage, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
The robed man reached out and grabbed the other man by the throat. "Where is the cave of the Shikon jewel?" The man was silent. "Tell me, fool, or I will destroy you!"  
  
"It's just up north of here," the man said in between gasps.  
  
"Thank you," the robed man said, releasing his grip. "Good day." And with that, he left the village. He shortly arrived at the cave where the infamous Shikon jewel was created. He saw the lifeless remains of the maiden and the demons that it originated from. "How interesting. This is all that created the jewel?" He laughed. "Was expecting more. But Kuronigori will be quite please nonetheless."  
  
Footsteps were approaching from behind him. "You're late," he said. Two figures appeared behind him. One handed him his battle gear and the other walked over to the remains of the maiden. "Help me take this back to the tower," the robed man said. "The Shikon jewel will soon be ours." 


	40. Yogore Thoughts

About a week and a half had passed since Kagura and her band had won the Battle of the Bands competition. With a few exceptions, the fight of her and Kouga against the two assassins was the only fight against the ice queen and her empire since the attempt to rescue InuYasha and Jakotsu. OmegaNihon, ChikaraEki and Yogore no Yurikago were starting to forget them all together. However, little did they know that the ice demons were busying concocting another plan to obtain the Shikon jewel.  
  
The jewel itself was almost whole. A few shards were all that was missing. Kikyou was responsible for keeping the biggest fragment safe from the wrong hands. However, when she, Naraku and the Shichinin-tai joined together to form Yogore no Yurikago, she felt that it was no longer safe. She feared that they would try to get it from her. But when she actually got to know them, she realized they had all changed. All except Naraku, that is...  
  
She decided to give it to Kagome to keep safe. After all, she was her reincarnation. She would keep it safe, even if she was as annoying as she was. Actually, lately Kikyou found people to be less annoying. Since she was very edgy when her hormones weren't racing around like idiots, she was very calm now that she was pregnant. And for once, things weren't complicated, ironically.  
  
Jakotsu absolutely loved the fact that soon he would have a kid, even if it was with Kikyou. She felt the same way. Even Suikotsu was happy for them.  
  
(Are you really?)  
  
He looked up from the paper work that he was doing for the hospital. "Who said that?" he asked. No one answered. "Must be tired," he muttered, and continued working. The office was cold and small. Maybe that was what was getting to him.  
  
(It's not the office.)  
  
He leapt from his seat and looked around. "Who's there?" he exclaimed with a touch of fear in his voice.  
  
(Relax. There's no one here except you and I.)  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
(I am you. Well, in a technical sense, anyways.)  
  
"Oh," he muttered, sitting back down. "What do you want?"  
  
(I want to know how you really feel about Kikyou and Jakotsu's kid.)  
  
"Couldn't be happier for them," he smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've work to do."  
  
(It can wait.)  
  
The strange voice was beginning to get more violent. "Look," Suikotsu said, "I really am busy at the moment, so if you could just-"  
  
(You do not tell me what to do. I can see into your heart, and I see no happiness at all. Only jealousy.)  
  
"Okay, maybe I am a little jealous. But do I not have a good reason?"  
  
(Of course you do. Your part in this Jerry Springer- esque situation will end soon, and you know that.)  
  
"No it won't," Suikotsu exclaimed, hitting the desk with his fist. "I love Kikyou, and she loves me."  
  
(I know. But remember this: it is not your kid. It's his...)  
  
"So what if it is?"  
  
(Kikyou will soon neglect you. The child will become her first priority.)  
  
"Well duh," Suikotsu muttered, rolling his eyes. "She's the mother!"  
  
(Jakotsu will be her second priority.)  
  
He didn't answer. The voice had a point. It wasn't his kid; it was Jakotsu's. "So, what do I do?"  
  
(Just leave that to me...)  
  
He did not like the way that sounded at all. He waited a few more seconds, but the voice had left. He continued filling out the paper work, but his hand had started to shake violently, so he had to stop. He put the papers away and locked the office. He opened the front door to the hospital and waited a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When he could see again, he closed the door and locked it.  
  
"Ready to go home?" Ginkotsu's voice said from the blackness that was in front of the hospital.  
  
"Yeah," Suikotsu sighed. "I really need some sleep."  
  
The first thing he did when they arrived home was check up on Kikyou. She was sleeping in her bed. He looked at her for a few seconds, and walked up to her. He hesitated for a bit, then kissed her cheek. She stirred, but didn't wake up.  
  
He then went to the living room. Mukotsu, Renkotsu, Bankotsu and Jakotsu were watching television. He thought it best not to disturb them and went to bed.  
  
It was some soap opera. The boyfriend had gone off to fight in some war, and the girlfriend had to stay behind and worry about him. The stereotypical type of show that would leave any woman reaching for the tissues and leaving any man rolling his eyes. Except these guys of course.  
  
"It's not fair," Mukotsu said in between sobs. "She loved him so much, and..." his voice became really high pitched, then trailed off. Jakotsu glanced over to him with a straight face and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Then Bankotsu started. "And then Rex's evil twin had that affair with that nurse. Jessica'll be so heart- broken..."  
  
"Uhh," Jakotsu whispered, "Bankotsu-"  
  
He was interrupted by Renkotsu's little girl cries. Sitting beside the pyromaniac was the Scotties Tissues fluff ball, holding a tissue. "Scotties," it said with its calm, soothing voice, "Be soft. Be stro-" But before it could finish, Renkotsu picked it up and blew his nose in it, then threw it behind the couch.  
  
"That's it," Jakotsu said, "I'm leaving." He stood up and walked to his room. He stopped when he got in. "God, I hope I didn't sound like that when I used to watch sad shows..." He shuddered and got into his bed. He lay awake for several moments, pondering what the future would be like.  
  
(No matter what happens, I'm gonna be a dad...)  
  
"Maybe it won't be so bad," he said aloud. A smile crept its way across his face. A laugh even escaped him. "It'll be fun." He closed his eyes and went to sleep, despite the loud hollering coming from the living room.  
  
Two men dressed in tattered black robes, with large black angel wings dragged the remains of Midoriko and the demons to the top floor of the large, dark citadel in the arctic wasteland of the north.  
  
"Thank you," a female voice said in a low whisper from within the darkness of the room. "Now, please, leave us." The two men with the black wings nodded and left.  
  
The woman was dressed in dull gray clothing. She had deep, black eyes and long, brown hair. She, too, had large, black angel wings. She was Kuronigori, leader of the Fallen Angels. She walked over to the remains of Midoriko and placed a hand on what was once the face. "This is where it came from?" she whispered.  
  
"It is," said another voice. It was the robed man who had found it in the cave near the Exterminator's village. However, he was no longer wearing the robe. He had dark, tanned skin and long, purple hair. Covering the top half of his face was a sort of shield that extended to a point at the top.  
  
(Think MagnaAngemon.)  
  
On his left shoulder was spiky metal armor. He wore nothing else on his upper body except a gray sash. He also wore leather pants and red boots. And, he also had large, black angel wings. He was Waruyoku, the general of the Fallen Angels.  
  
"Excellent," Kuronigori said. "And soon, we will have the jewel?"  
  
"Of course, my lady," Waruyoku said. "But what of its current protectors?"  
  
"InuYasha," she answered. "We will have to take care of them, won't we?"  
  
Waruyoku smiled. "Don't worry, my lady. We've got it all under control." 


	41. Shirakiyo

Jaken opened the cupboard door and took out a large plate. On it, he placed the hors d'oeuvres that he had just finished preparing. He picked up the plate and carried it into the living room. He placed it on the table, not paying attention to what his master and company were talking about.  
  
"So," Kageroumaru hissed as Jaken left into the kitchen, "You figure that Juuroumaru is ready to start dating?"  
  
"I do indeed," Sesshoumaru said with a nod. "I was thinking that I could bring him down to the Yacht Club on Saturday night and introduce him to a few of the ladies."  
  
The little snake demon nearly chocked on his escargots. "Are you crazy?" he exclaimed. "Even though you've made him as cultured as you have, he still can't go with one of those women!" Kageroumaru sat back in his chair. "My brother is not a hoity-toity, brandy sipping, radio psychiatrist snob like you." He closed his eyes. "What he needs is someone more like him. Someone wild and absolutely carefree."  
  
"I see," the dog demon said, taking a sip of his brandy. "We'll try it your way first then, shall we?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'my way first'? You don't think he'll go for the girl I described?"  
  
"How about we make it more interesting?"  
  
Kageroumaru's eyes widened with shock. "You mean you want to bet on my brother's emotions?" he exclaimed. "That's sneaky, underhanded and downright distasteful!" He smiled. "How much we talkin' about here?"  
  
As Sesshoumaru and Kageroumaru were making their wager, InuYasha, Kagome, Nobunaga, Tsuyu, Miroku and Sango were on their way to the movie theater to see the new James Bond movie that had just come out.  
  
Sango let out a deep sigh.  
  
"What's up?" Miroku asked.  
  
Her cheeks reddened. "Oh," she said, "It's nothing."  
  
"No, tell me."  
  
She looked up at him. "Well," she began, "I was just thinking about the previous James Bond movies I've seen..." She trailed off.  
  
"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're not thinking about..." He trailed off as well, because he saw Sango's face turn bright red. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. "You're hot for James Bond!"  
  
"No," Sango protested, "I'm not! It's just that he's so charming. All British men are."  
  
Miroku scoffed. "Yeah, right. That's what they said about Terry Wogan."  
  
(Mr. Wogan sat at his desk, answering a letter that one of his fans had sent to him. He stopped writing, looked up and said, "You don't even know who I am," and continued writing his letter.)  
  
"Well," Sango continued, "I'm sure Kagome and Tsuyu will agree with me."  
  
"Leave us outta this," Tsuyu smiled as Nobunaga glanced over at her.  
  
"So what's this 'James' bond' all about anyways?" he asked. He had not seen any of the movies.  
  
"Well," Tsuyu explained, "He's this British spy who goes off to various places, saves the day, gets the girl and so forth."  
  
"My favorite was Octopussy," InuYasha said. "Man, I musta saw that movie..."  
  
"Twice," Kagome finished. She stopped suddenly.  
  
"What's wrong, Kagome?" InuYasha asked. She turned her head to the north and started running that way. The others ran after her. "What's going on?" InuYasha exclaimed as he tried to catch up.  
  
When they cleared the hill, they saw a flock of black winged angels circling something lying on the ground. The black angels glanced over to InuYasha and company and immediately rushed over to them to attack.  
  
"Dammit," InuYasha muttered under his breath, "Didn't bring Tetsusaiga..." The angels dive-bombed him, forcing him to use his claws. He leapt at them and slashed, cutting them to pieces. "Huh," he said, stunned, "Didn't think they'd be that weak. You okay, Kagome?" He looked over at her, but didn't see her. He searched the area and saw her and the others crowed around the creature that the angels had been attacking.  
  
It was a boy of maybe sixteen or seventeen years of age. He had long, shaggy black hair and deep blue eyes. He wore a red, tattered tank top and green, baggy pants. He also had a pair of white angel wings.  
  
"We hafta help him," Kagome exclaimed.  
  
"But what about the movie?" InuYasha whined. Kagome looked up at him with a hurt expression. He sighed. "Fine, let's get him home then."  
  
It had been three days since the boy was rescued from the black angels. He lay unconscious on a hospital bed, seeming to be in a coma. Finally, during about midday on the fourth day, he opened his eyes for the first time. He sat up, fully aware that his upper body was wrapped in bandages. His wings ached from being laid on for so long, so he stretched them out and accidentally knocked over the vase that was on the table next to his bed. When it hit the ground, it shattered into a dozen pieces. He smirked.  
  
"Oh," Kagome's voice said with shock as she entered the room, "You're finally awake!" She ran over to him. "Are you okay? You've been unconscious for a while now..."  
  
The boy looked directly into Kagome's eyes. "Are you the one who saved me?" he asked.  
  
She smiled. "Well, I helped a little. My name's Kagome." She extended her hand to his, and he took it.  
  
"I am Shirakiyo," he answered, a sweet smile spreading across his face. "Please do not think it bold of me, but you are the prettiest creature that I have ever laid my eyes upon." He started stroking her face gently, making her feel very uncomfortable. She pulled away.  
  
At that moment, InuYasha walked into the room. "Ah," he said, "He's awake." He joined Kagome's side and put his arm around her. "So what's his name?"  
  
"Shirakiyo," Kagome said with a flat tone. She flashed him a cold glance. He just smiled.  
  
"What were those black things that were attacking you?" InuYasha asked.  
  
"Are you the half-ling, InuYasha?" the angel boy asked, totally ignoring the first question.  
  
"Ya," the dog boy answered. "You've heard of me, eh?" He beamed.  
  
"Oh, of course," Shirakiyo smiled. "You are quite famous back where I come from."  
  
Kagome's eyebrow rose. "And where would that be, exactly?"  
  
"I am so happy that I was finally able to find you," the angel said, lying back in his bed. "Now we finally have a chance..."  
  
"A chance?" InuYasha asked. "A chance for what?"  
  
Shirakiyo closed his eyes. "Those black angels that were attacking me," he began, "where underlings of the demon Kuronigori. She and her army of black angels are plotting to steal the Shikon Jewel. They went to the Exterminator's village and exhumed Midoriko's remains from the cave, and they will use their powers to bring her back to life to help obtain the jewel." He sat up. "You have to help me stop them! If they get it, then there is no telling what darkness will be blanketed upon the Earth!"  
  
"Interesting," InuYasha pondered. "So we've got another royal pain in the ass to deal with, huh? And you say she has a whole army of those black angels?"  
  
Shirakiyo nodded. "I have an army as well. But it consists not of black angels."  
  
"White angels?"  
  
The boy nodded. "Will you help us?" he pleaded. "Will you help us stop her?"  
  
InuYasha glanced over at Kagome. "What's your opinion?"  
  
"Well," she began, "We should help him, obviously. If these angel things get the jewel, they'll take over the world." She sighed. "Of course, we still have the ice demons to deal with..."  
  
InuYasha smiled. "Those angels that I killed back there were nothing. A whole army of them won't be much of a difference..."  
  
"So," Shirakiyo said, "You will help us then?"  
  
"Of course," InuYasha smiled.  
  
Meanwhile, in her room, KooriKisaki was busy tying up the final loose ends of her plan when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come," she said. Sekka entered the room. "Ah, just the person I wanted to see. Please, sit."  
  
Sekka sat down on the queen's bed beside her. "So have you figured out my part in all this yet?"  
  
KooriKisaki nodded. "I have indeed. That group that you fought way back when, with that man who turned out to be Naraku, and those two women-"  
  
"One woman," Sekka corrected. "The other was a guy."  
  
"Okay," the ice queen said, trying to stifle a chuckle. "Anyways, I want you to go and divert them away from Fuyuka and Gyouka."  
  
"I see," the snow pixie said. "I will lure them to the icy mountains while Fuyuka and Gyouka have big fun burning their village to the ground..."  
  
"There's a good girl," KooriKisaki smiled as Sekka left her room. "Good, once the villages are burned down and the... Shichinintai... has been disposed of, I will be able to cover the world in an ice sheet for the rest of existence." She cackled evilly.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" Sekka asked, poking her head through the door.  
  
"You're sill here?" the ice queen exclaimed. "Come on! You have a job to do! Now go do it!"  
  
"Yes my queen." And with that, Sekka left to gather up the Toukaibutsu and Icykal. 


	42. The Invitation

Late one evening, Renkotsu sat up in his bed, looking out the window. It had begun to snow. Snow, in the middle of summer! He sighed and headed out to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he approached the closed kitchen door, he heard a voice in there. He stopped and listened. He could not make out what the conversation was about, but he did recognize the one voice. It was Mukotsu.  
  
The talking stopped, and Renkotsu took a step back. He waited a few seconds, and after nothing happened, he entered the kitchen. "Mukotsu," he said with fake surprise, "What are you doing up?" He went to the cupboard, took a glass and filled it with tap water. He then joined Mukotsu at the table.  
  
"Couldn't sleep, I guess," Mukotsu answered with a shrug.  
  
"You thinking about they're problem, too?" Renkotsu meant the problem of Kikyou, Suikotsu and Jakotsu. On the outside, the three of them seemed happy and totally okay with their situation. But he knew that on the inside, they were not.  
  
"Why does this stuff only happen to us?" Mukotsu muttered. "Bad relationships, I mean." Renkotsu looked up with interest. "Especially me," he continued, "Y-you remember the time we went to Greece?"  
  
(Mukotsu ventured slowly into the cave, grasping the mirror shield tightly. He had heard tales of the demon Medusa, and how one glance upon her hideous face would turn anything into solid stone. He stopped walking and gulped, trying to get himself together.  
  
He drew a deep breath and started again. He could hear the snakes' rattling throughout the entire cave. Then he finally came to the main chamber and met the back of the creature. It slowly turned its head around, took one glance at Mukotsu's face, shrieked in terror and turned into stone.  
  
"Well," he said, looking down at his feet, "That brings my self-esteem level down another couple of pegs...")  
  
"The point is," Mukotsu said, "I'm just not sure they'll be able to deal with it. And the kid hasn't even been born yet!"  
  
"Come on, Mukotsu," Renkotsu said, "Give them a little credit. Could you be able to walk around with a smile if you were in their situation?"  
  
"No," Mukotsu admitted. "But then again, I'm not a schizophrenic maniac, a man-hungry psycho, or Kikyou-"  
  
"Mukotsu," Renkotsu said with a sigh. "Go to bed. You obviously have no comprehension of the subject."  
  
"Fine." And with that, the ugly little man left the kitchen.  
  
After a few minutes of trying to re-gather his thoughts, Renkotsu was surprised by a loud bang on the window. He scoffed and walked to the door. He opened it and called out, "Just remember this, I'm the only person who lives on this street that will sue little children!" He gasped in shock as a Hyoukoumori darted in front of his face. It dropped a tiny slip of paper into his hands and flew away.  
  
He opened the paper slowly, still not exactly sure what just happened, and read the note. It was from Sekka. "Meet me at the base of the Yamanami mountain range in exactly one week from today for a good time wink" He scoffed. "She actually put down the 'wink'..." He shook his head and continued reading. When he was finished, he sat back down at the table and folded the note up.  
  
(Shit... We definitely do not need this now...)  
  
He sat there and thought about the current problems of him and his friends. He didn't even notice that the sun had come up. A loud slurping noise snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced over to see Bankotsu eating some cereal. "Don't slurp."  
  
Bankotsu nearly spat out his Frosted Flakes. "That's a joke, right?" His friend's face remained plain as he handed him the slip of paper that the ice bat had left. He took and read it. "What does this mean?"  
  
"We fight Sekka in a week," Renkotsu answered. "Better get ready. I highly doubt this is gonna be a walk in the park." He stopped suddenly, then said, "Which reminds me..." He got up and left without saying anything. Bankotsu stared blankly at the door as it swung closed.  
  
A few minutes later, Renkotsu came back in, cradling something in his arms. "When we helped Kagura rescue Kanna," he began, "Sango's pet cat thing really intrigued me, so..." The creature leapt out of his arms and walked across the table to Bankotsu. It looked exactly like Kirara, except its fur was red. It sniffed his hand, and then nuzzled its nose against it. "His name," Renkotsu continued, "is Kazan."  
  
Bankotsu smiled. "How cute," he smirked. "And so out of place that it isn't even funny..."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Well," Bankotsu said, putting his free arm behind his head, "I mean, when was the last time you cared for another living thing?"  
  
Renkotsu overdramatically clutched his heart. "Bankotsu," he exclaimed, "I'm hurt!"  
  
"Drop the act."  
  
"Okay," the pyro smirked. "But still! I think he'd be a great asset in the fight against the ice demons."  
  
"Does he have experience?"  
  
"Well," Renkotsu said, shaking his head, "No. But I could train him in a week."  
  
"Better get started on that then," Bankotsu chuckled, petting Kazan. Renkotsu smiled, picked up the little cat demon and left the kitchen. When he was sure that they had left, Bankotsu removed his left shoe. From the front of it, he pulled out a long antenna, and then removed the heel to reveal a speaker. "Hello, Chief?" he said, "This is Agent #70. I'm coming down to get," he lowered his voice, "You- know-what."  
  
"Roger, Agent #70," the voice from the shoe said, "Stand by for confirmation..."  
  
Meanwhile, Kagome had just arrived back at her place with two arms filled with grocery bags. As she got up to her door, she tried to find her keys in her pocket, but didn't seem to be able to. She dug a little deeper and wasn't paying any attention to the big brown bags that she was holding. One of them tipped over, spilling out all of its contents. If it hadn't been for a quick catch by Shirakiyo, who had just arrived in the nick of time, there could have been a huge mess.  
  
"Thank you," Kagome smiled.  
  
"It was no problem," Shirakiyo smiled back. "Where is your Cujo of a boyfriend? He is the one who should be helping you with these, not me."  
  
"Well," she explained, "InuYasha and his brother Sesshoumaru went to visit their father."  
  
"Oh?" Shirakiyo inquired. "And where does he live?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Well, he's dead. They went to his grave site."  
  
"Oh," the angel boy said. "I am sorry to hear that. Here, let me help you..." He held her bags as she fumbled around with her keys to open the door. Once she had opened it, the two of them went inside and put the groceries away. When they had finished, they sat down on the couch to watch television.  
  
"Oh," Kagome smiled, "The Price is Right is on..."  
  
"Okay," Bob Barker announced on the TV, "Come on up and spin that wheel, Jody."  
  
The woman walked up to him with a frown on her face. "I'm Julie!" she exclaimed. "Are you blind?"  
  
Mr. Barker looked down to his feet. "Yes," he sighed.  
  
"Wow," Kagome exclaimed, "He looks good for his age." She paused, tapped her chin and then added, "Whatever age that is..."  
  
Shirakiyo glanced at her. He noticed how close, warm and friendly her eyes were and wondered why a loving person like her would be with a braying jackass like InuYasha. He understood and accepted the fact that the dog was there first, but he still was becoming very jealous. "Kagome," he said, "I am sorry, but I have an errand to run. If you will excuse me."  
  
"Of course," Kagome smiled.  
  
He smiled back and walked away. He opened the front door and saw InuYasha returning home. "Oh," he muttered, "Hello."  
  
"Hey," InuYasha said. "Is Kagome home?"  
  
"Yes, she is watching television."  
  
InuYasha smiled and went inside the house. Shirakiyo glared at the front door as it closed. "Enjoy your time with her," he muttered coldly under his breath. He chuckled and ran down the driveway. Then he leapt into the air and flew away.  
  
He flew into the mountains where they had found him and searched around for a cave. When he found it, he flew over to it and walked in. Men and women dressed in bright white robes lay on small beds, resting. Every one of them had white wings. They were his army of Archangels. He walked deeper into the cave where a dim light was emanating.  
  
"Ah," a female voice said from the dim light, "You're back." She entered into his vision. She had blue eyes and pink hair worn in pigtails. She wore a black choker, a purple tank top and black bellbottoms. And like everyone else in the cave, had white wings.  
  
"Akizuki," Shirakiyo smiled. "How is the battle plan coming along?"  
  
The girl smiled. "Great. This time we'll be able to hit Kuronigori right where it hurts the most."  
  
"Excellent." 


	43. Akizuki

The time to attack the evil angels was almost upon the members of the semi-famous Japanese punk band known as OmegaNihon. Kuronigori had been using her evil powers to awaken the maiden Midoriko so that she and her army could get the powers of the Shikon Jewel.

KooriKisaki and her army were plotting to get rid of each group of their enemies at a time. First up was the Shichinintai, and with them out of the way, the rest would be rather easy. With the added help of Naraku, Yura the hair demon and the thunder siblings, Manten and Souten, the ice army was almost assured victory. Only a little longer did KooriKisaki have to wait; then she would have the jewel all to herself.

The one week that Sekka had given the Shichinintai was almost up. Bankotsu was the last of the seven to get ready. He walked to his room, opened up his closet and stepped in. On a hidden panel, he typed his security code and the back of the closet opened up, revealing a descending staircase. He walked down it, and when he was at the bottom, looked left, then right. He continued walking.

Two iron doors with bolts around the rims were in front of him. He did not stop walking, and the doors swung open. He walked through them and they closed behind him. He came to a second door, and again did not stop walking. The doors opened horizontally, and then closed again when he passed through them. A third door now, opening from bottom to top, closing when he passed through it.

And finally, the last door. It was made to look like iron bars. When he walked up to it, it opened up and revealed a telephone booth. Bankotsu got in the telephone booth, dialed a number and fell down the trap hole that had opened up.

In the final chamber now, was the Banryuu, sitting on a pedestal in a spotlight. "Ah," he smiled, "Here you are."

He then took a secret passage to get back to Kikyou's house. He found Renkotsu, Mukotsu and Jakotsu waiting for him in the living room. "Where did you go?" Renkotsu inquired. Bankotsu just smiled.

Meanwhile, at InuYasha's, he and Shirakiyo were discussing plans of attack against the evil angels. Throughout the entire time they spent together, InuYasha was fully aware of how often the conversation made its way to Kagome. "She is a very amazing woman," Shirakiyo said, causing InuYasha's eyes to twitch. They went back to talking about the war, which calmed InuYasha down a little bit. Of course, that didn't last too long. Kagome entered the room, causing both boys to drop what they were doing immediately.

"Hey guys," she smiled, "What's up?"

Shirakiyo began to speak, but InuYasha interrupted him. "We're making a plan to attack Kuronigori."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "You?" she exclaimed, "A plan!? Don't you normally just rush into things without thinking about it?"

InuYasha's jaw joined Kagome's. "You're right," he muttered in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Anyways, did you find out if Kouga'll be joining us?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nope, he says he wants to help, but he'd rather spend time with Kagura."

InuYasha snorted. "Son of a bitch. We need all the help we can get, and he just wants to go and roll around in the grass with some wind wench?" He closed his eyes. "Fine, whatever. We'll do it without him." He opened his eyes quickly and turned to the door. "Company."

Standing at the door was Sesshoumaru, Juuroumaru and, curled up on his shoulder, Kageroumaru. "So," Sesshoumaru muttered, "These are our army's great generals?"

Kageroumaru stuck out his tongue. "That's a downer," he smiled.

"Haha, but seriously though, folks," Juuroumaru laughed. "So when's the fight gonna be?"

InuYasha and Shirakiyo exchanged glances of worry. "We, uh, haven't thought of that yet," they said in unison.

Kagome sweatdropped. "Why am I not surprised," she muttered under her breath, completely forgetting that the hearing of everyone else in the room was slightly better than her own. "Well anyways, knowing them, you know, being bad guys and all, they'll probably be the ones to start the fighting." She looked over at the clock and realized that she had other things that needed to be done. "I gotta go," she said, grabbing her bags and heading to the door. "I'll be back in a few hours. Bye." She disappeared, then reappeared and looked right at InuYasha. "Oh and by the way, I'm gonna tell Kagura that you called her a 'wind wench'." She stuck out her tongue and then was gone.

"Haha," Juuroumaru teased, "You're gonna get it."

"I think I liked it better when you couldn't talk," InuYasha muttered under his breath. "Anyways, I think the attack should be sometime soon, so as to catch them off guard."

"Agreed," Shirakiyo smiled. Then he looked towards the door, at the three '-oumarus.' "Will you help me with something?" he asked.

"Sure," Kageroumaru said flatly. "What?"

"Come," the angel demon responded, running out the door, "I'll explain on the way." He led the three of them out the door, leaving InuYasha all alone. He sighed, pulled out the chair from the table and sat down. He was really bothered by Shirakiyo and his attitude towards Kagome. In his eyes, InuYasha was already the victory and didn't think it necessary to fight for Kagome anymore; he had her now. But this angel... He snarled, pushed back the chair and went to the kitchen.

Shirakiyo and the three others arrived at the angel's cave not ten minutes later. It seems he wanted to introduce his new comrades to his army of white robed heaven users. He led them into the cave, passed all the angels that were training for the upcoming battle. At the end of the cave was a small corridor that led to what must have been Shirakiyo's room. They entered it. Waiting for them was Shirakiyo's general. "Ah," she said, "Good, you've arrived. I am Akizuki." As they introduced themselves, she studied these three aliens in front of her.

Kageroumaru didn't notice this until her eyes had landed on Juuroumaru. This started something that would have made a good episode of Three's Company... "Dude," he hissed into his brother's ear, "She's totally checking you out!" Juuroumaru's response was rather subtle. Actually, he didn't say anything at all. "It means she likes you," the serpent demon sweatdropped. He leapt onto Sesshoumaru's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Haha, I told you!"

"What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru whispered back.

"Duh, can't you see it?" he pointed one of his scythes at the angeless, then back to Juuroumaru. "It's so obvious!"

"Like Kagura and Kouga?"

"Exactly."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "Okay then. I will see how this plays out."

"What are you all whispering about?" Shirakiyo demanded.

A smile spread across Kageroumaru's face. "M'lady," he said, turning his gaze to Akizuki, "What is your current marital status?"

The young angeless took a step back, "Um, why do you ask?" she stuttered.

"I saw you checking out my brother here," he pointed to Juuroumaru, "Don't try to deny it."

"I wasn't just checking him out," Akizuki corrected, "I was checking all three of you out."

"So," Kageroumaru began, "You're, like, a slut or something?"

And with that, Juuroumaru bashed his little brother upside the head. "Don't be so rude, Kageroumaru!" He looked up to Akizuki, "I'm sorry about that. He's, uh, overly zealous about things like this."

"Uh huh," was her sighed response. "Well, for the most part, it was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too," Juuroumaru smiled.

"Oooo," Kageroumaru smiled at Sesshoumaru, "See? There IS something there."

"You talk too much," the dog demon snorted. Kageroumaru's smile only grew.

The snow fell lightly at first, but began to pick up. Soon the Shichinintai were caught in a blizzard. But they arrived at the designated spot nonetheless. All they had to do now was wait for Sekka and the Toukaibutsu to arrive. They looked around anxiously for their enemy to come, but of course she was a little late. Suikotsu had decided that for this one battle he would let his other half take over. It was a decision he would end up regretting...


	44. Shichinintai vs Toukaibutsu

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven," Sekka counted. "Excellent!" she called, "You're all here! It's so nice to finally see you all! The famous Shichinintai..." She sat cross-legged on the spiky back of Icykal, the Toukaibutsu mother demon. A legion of Toukaibutsu trailed behind her and her monster. Icykal crept towards the seven men very slowly, just as Sekka had instructed. "Let the frozen snow soften them up a bit," she had said. "Or rather, harden them..." She jumped suddenly, causing a few of her enemies to twitch. She landed mere feet in front of them. A sweetly sadistic smile spread across her cute face. Complete juxtaposition. She walked slowly to them, causing Jakotsu to relive vivid memories of all the other times he fought with her. "It starts," she called out over the howling storm. "I'll try to make it as quick as possible."

"Ginkotsu," Bankotsu said, "Think you can take out the big one?"

"Gishishishi," Ginkotsu snickered. "Fuck yeah!"

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said, "You want Sekka, right?" His brother nodded.

"So do I," wicked Suikotsu smiled. "Slicing her up is gonna be so much fun."

"Then it's settled," Bankotsu smiled. "Renkotsu, Mukotsu, Kyoukotsu. You three are with me. We fight the ice monsters. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" his fellow brothers all called out in unison. Their final fight had officially begun.

Jakotsu and Suikotsu dashed forwards at Sekka, weapons bared. Ginkotsu rolled passed them to Icykal, and the others stayed put, letting the Toukaibutsu come to them.

"I take it you didn't get enough of me the other times we fought," Sekka smiled to Jakotsu. Then her gaze shifted to Suikotsu. "So you're the person Naraku posed as when I fought him." She sneered. "I hope you put up a better fight than he did."

"I promise you," Suikotsu said, holding up his claws, "I will." He lashed out at her, but she jumped back just in the nick of time.

"This is gonna be so much fun," she cackled.

(Shichinintai Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Mukotsu and Kyoukotsu versus Koori Youkai Toukaibutsu...)

Bankotsu held up his cherished halberd the Banryuu and spun it around on the palm of his hand. He grabbed its handle, stopping it, and jumped into the air. The small group of Toukaibutsu in front of him had no idea what was about to happen to them. "BAN...RYUU...SEN!" The Banryuu glowed with red energy, and when Bankotsu struck the ground with it, the energy took the form of a wave of red light and flew to the ice demons, decimating them. The snow settled. All that was left was a smoking crater. He smiled. "I dunno, I think Banryuusen is a better attack than Kaze no Kizu..."

Kyoukotsu stared down his enemy group of ice monsters. He had only ever tried ice candy once, because it didn't really agree with him. But of course he would make an exception this day. He swung his enormous arm at the demons, and caught a few of them. He tossed them into his mouth and brought his sharp jagged teeth together, crunching them up. "Not bad," he growled. "Maybe I should think about trying some more of that iced cream..." His monstrous eyes glanced back at the Toukaibutsu. "You're tasty," he growled.

Mukotsu lifted up one of his canisters of poison. "I know what you're thinking," he said to his enemy group of ice demons, "You're thinking 'we are ice demons, we can't be hurt by poison.' Well for the most part you're right. But don't forget: you're dealing with the poison using stalker Mukotsu here!" He flicked off the lid from the canister, and held it up to his mouth. He drank some, but before he swallowed, he spat it back out. The poison hit the ice demons, melting the whole lot of them. "The only person who's ever stood up to my poison was Sesshoumaru, and that's only because he's a powerful demon." Mukotsu stopped. "Oh wait, there was that other person too."

_(Kathy Griffin's insane prattling had taken its toll on even the strongest of men. Now it was Mukotsu's unfortunate turn. She sat next to him, talking about not even God knew what. 'There's only one way outta this,' Mukotsu thought to himself. He lifted his canister and sipped some of the poison, then turned to Kathy Griffin and spat it out right into her face. But...it...did...nothing...! Mukotsu gasped as the poison just trickled down her face. She hadn't even stopped talking yet! "You're not human!" he exclaimed, and ran away.)_

"She was still talking after I left," he sighed.

Renkotsu taught Kazan everything he knew about fighting. Now Kazan, the once cute cuddly cat demon, was ... still a cute cuddly cat demon, but now he had attitude! Kazan transformed into his giant demon form, like Kirara, and blasted a steady stream of fire at the Toukaibutsu. And guess what? Being ice, they obviously had no chance of survival. "Hah!" Renkotsu called out! "I love this cat!" Now it was his turn. He took his little jar of flammable liquid, took a sip, and spat out a stream of his own. Once again, the group of ice demons evaporated. "Maybe I should have helped out in more battles against these things," he muttered. "Oh, I wonder how Ginkotsu's doing?"

(Shichinintai Ginkotsu versus Koori Youkai Icykal...)

Icykal lashed at Ginkotsu with its massive claws, but missed every time. Sometimes, being the bigger stronger demon wasn't always best. Ginkotsu aimed his turret at the monster and fired. The mortar hit the demon's back and exploded. It left not even a scratch. Sometimes, being the bigger stronger demon was best. It tried again, lashing its claws at Ginkotsu. This time, it managed a hit. One of Ginkotsu's two turrets had been completely ripped off.

"Gishi!" Ginkotsu growled. "I don't wanna hafta use my self destruct on this thing." He started forwards and aimed his cannon at the monster, firing another mortar. Again it hit, and fortunately, did some damage. A crater had been carved into the monster's back. It yelled in pain and anger and dashed again towards its enemy. It brought a claw right down on top of Ginkotsu, crushing his entire turret, and pushing him into the snow. He was stuck. "Shit!" he exclaimed. "Fine then! Plan B..."

Ginkotsu's secret weapon: an army's worth of weapons concealed in his body. Waves after waves of missiles, bullets, bombs and other goodies made their way towards the giant ice monster. It got caught in the blast and was ripped apart into thousands of tiny pieces. All that remained of Icykal was several pieces of melting ice in a giant smoking crater.

"Gishi!" Ginkotsu smiled. "Hope the others are doing alright..." He glanced to his left. A hill rose up from the wasteland. On top of it he saw three figures fighting...

(Shichinintai Jakotsu and Suikotsu versus Yukionna Sekka...)

Sekka dodged Suikotsu's wild slashes by ducking under or jumping over them. Her ears twitch, telling her to duck, as the Jakotsutou slashed at her from behind. "These fools have gotten better," she whispered to herself.

"What's wrong, Sekka?" Jakotsu taunted. "Getting tired?" He laughed. Then he turned the laugh into his infamous demonic screech and let his sword attack again.

Sekka dodged the blade, and then froze in her place. "That scream," she whispered. "No, it can't be..."

"What's wrong, snow girl?" Suikotsu asked as he slashed at her from her left. "You seem to be preoccupied."

"Don't get cocky," she smiled, landing a punch right in Suikotsu's gut. He fell to the ground.

"Suikotsu!" Jakotsu yelled, running over to him. "Are you okay?" Suikotsu nodded.

"Jakotsu," Sekka called out. "You're war cry or whatever the fuck that was... Sounded familiar."

Jakotsu looked to her confused. That was the first time he ever used that shriek outside the recording room. How could she know about it? He felt his strength leave him for a second as he realized. "You..."

"Hmm?" the snow pixie inquired. "I what?"

"...listen to our music?"

Sekka stopped. "You mean... you're Yogore no Yurikago?" Jakotsu nodded. Sekka then let out a scream of excitement. "Wow! How coincidental is this!? I LOVE you guys!"

"Really?" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Wow, I've never met a fan before..."

"Jakotsu-"

"Can I have your autograph?" Sekka shouted excitedly.

"Jakotsu!"

"Of course!" Jakotsu smiled.

"JAKOTSU!!" Suikotsu got to his feet. "Might I remind you, both of you, that we're in the middle of a fight here?"

Nobody got to answer. From out of nowhere, a flock of Kuronigori's evil angels descended upon the lot of them. They grabbed and held everyone, all the Shichinintai, even Sekka. Then a mist of purple gas formed before them. From it emerged Naraku. "Ku ku ku," he sneered. "Sekka, you were supposed to have taken care of them by now." The angel holding Mukotsu flew over to Naraku, and let Mukotsu go.

"Jeez," he said, "You didn't hafta be so rough!" He turned to Naraku and walked forwards. "Okay, I got it." He held out his hand...

"The Shikon Jewel!" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Mukotsu-"

Naraku smiled as he took the jewel from Mukotsu. "Excellent work, my friend. I honestly wasn't expecting you to go through with it."

"I held up my end of the deal," Mukotsu said. "Now, what about you?"

"Of course," Naraku said, holding out his hand. A pink light started forming around Mukotsu. "I'll give you this demon body. If you destroy everyone here, all your teammates and this enchanting snow pixie, I will give you any body that you wish."

Jakotsu looked on in horror as his betraying friend transformed into a horrible demon.


	45. Farewell! A Requiem for Frostbyte

Kikyou's village in the middle of the night was an eerie sight. No lights were on in any of the homes, no people were walking around outside. The cold wind howled throughout the streets. For most this was not a nice feeling. For Fuyuka however, this was a type of heaven. He looked on the village as three figures appeared behind him. "You're late," he growled. Yura, Manten and Souten stood there, shivering. "Now listen up, we are going to flatten this sorry excuse for a village to the ground. Anyone got a problem with that?"

"Yes," Yura said meekly. Fuyuka raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Fuyuka, but I just don't feel like killing all these innocent people."

Fuyuka snarled. "And what about you two?" Manten and Souten stayed quiet for a second, and then spoke up.

"We agree with Yura," Manten said. "We don't wanna kill anyone either."

Fuyuka growled so loudly that Souten lost her balance and fell down. "Fine then! If you're not gonna help me, I have no use for you! Go on then," he pointed away from the village, "Get the fuck outta my sight!" They did not move. "If you don't leave in five seconds, I'll kill you."

Manten helped Souten to her feet and took her hand. In his other hand, he took Yura's. "Come on," he said, "Let's just go." Their storm cloud floated down from the sky and they boarded it. It took them away into the night.

Fuyuka spat in their direction. "Fuck 'em," he muttered. "I have a job to do."

Kanna, Kohaku and Hakudoushi had all agreed to go with InuYasha and help him take care of the evil angels. This left Kouga and Kagura all alone together, and seeing as their last time alone was cut short due to some spiny Sega game rejects, they needed to make up their lost time. Due to the freezing cold on the outside and the newly produced heat on the inside, the windows had completely fogged up. Kouga lay on top of Kagura, both breathing heavily. He rested his head on her chest and closed his eyes.

"That was wonderful, Kouga," Kagura sighed. Both of them were left without any energy, so she too closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, looming just outside the village's gate was Frostbyte. She held her late master's sword in her left hand and was staring at it.

(Shimoka... Your death shall not be in vain. I will take the life of that pup with my own hands if I have to. You will be avenged, and I'll finally have my prize...)

She smiled sadistically at the thought of ripping Kouga's heart out. "Yes," she muttered out loud. "Everything's coming together quite nicely..." She took a step forward, through the village entryway. She knew exactly which house belonged to Kagura, as she had been there once before. It was the first time she saw her. She sighed and continued walking. "Not long now, my love. Not long at all..." She stood in front of the door, held Shimoka's sword up, and slashed. The door fell to the ground in splinters.

The commotion woke the sleeping lovers immediately. They both looked into each other's eyes and saw fear. "Wolf-boy!" they heard a familiar voice call from the living room. "I know you're here. I can smell you."

"Not here," Kagura whispered. "We have to get her away from the village!" Kouga nodded in agreement.

Frostbyte sat down on the couch and laid Shimoka's, no, her sword on her lap. The couch was surprisingly comfortable. She smiled and looked around. Then she realized that nothing was happening. She got up and ran to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. She checked each one, and nothing. "What the?" The blast of wind that came from behind nearly chopped off her ear, had she been just a little bit more to the right. She turned around and saw her prey behind her. She smiled. "So that's where you are."

"What the hell do you want?" Kagura demanded, her fan held out in front of her.

"You of course," Frostbyte said as sweetly as she could. "Now, would you like to do this the easy way," she held up her sword, "or the fun way?"

Kagura glanced at Kouga who was standing beside her. "What do you think we should do?" Kouga grasped the handle of his sword, brandished it and made an attack at Frostbyte. She jumped out of the way and tried to return the strike, but he had already gotten out of the way. So she turned and aimed her attack at Kagura instead. But she leapt back, dodging the attack, and bolted out the door. Frostbyte stood there stunned as Kouga passed her, running out the door too. They were intending to lead her out of the village. That was fine. She had a surprise waiting for them anyways...

Kagura and Kouga succeeded in leading Frostbyte out of the village and into the forest. The snow was cold on their bare feet, but that was the last thing on their minds. Frostbyte flung a series of poison tipped darts at them, each one missing, but only by inches. Kagura, still running forwards, flung a gust of wind at their pursuer. She was knocked of guard and fell to the ground, but quickly got back to her feet. She was set on carrying out her mission. And it wasn't long now until her prey fell victim to the little trap she set.

They entered a clearing. On the ground was yet more snow, but there was something a little odd about it. It did not feel cold on their feet. They just dismissed it, thinking it was because their feet were already numb. But they were wrong. "Ha ha!" Frostbyte cackled. "You fools have fallen right into my trap." The ground rose and engulfed Kouga and Kagura. Then they realized it wasn't ground. It was an army of Yukikyuu snowball demons. Kagura tried to conjure up some wind to blow them away, but they had managed to knock her fan out of her hand and carried it from her reach. Kouga tried to slash them with his sword, but they managed to form a wave and knocked it out of his hand. Fortunately, he still had his claws. He tried using them, and ripped a bunch of the attacking fluffies to pieces. He dashed for his sword, but missed it. He managed to grab the fan instead, and dashed to Kagura's aid. She took the fan, conjured up a cyclone of wind, and sent all the Yukikyuu flying in all directions.

The snowstorm settled. Kagura looked at Frostbyte, who was red with anger. "Fool!" she yelled. "You may have beaten my snowballs, but you still have me to go through!" She jumped up at Kagura and slashed her shoulder with the sword. Kagura fell into Kouga's arms and both ended up on the ground. She spun around, stuck out her sword and dashed to her prey with the intent of severing Kouga's head from his body. But when she got there, something had wrapped around her arms and was holding her back. Kouga and Kagura looked back and saw that Frostbyte was being held in place by one of Naraku's puppets. "What the fuck?" she exclaimed.

Naraku himself appeared from the trees. "My dear Frostbyte," he smiled evilly, "You were given one simple task, and you couldn't even carry it out." The puppet tightened its grip on her arm and broke it. She cried out in pain and thrashed savagely, but the puppet wouldn't let go of her. "And to top it off," Naraku continued, "You've taken some of my Shikon shards..." The puppet's tentacle thrust itself into her broken arm and fished out two fragments of the Shikon Jewel. "I'm very disappointed in you," he continued as the puppet tossed the shards to him. "This is unforgivable. Puppet, kill her." Frostbyte looked into Kagura's beautiful red eyes for the last time as the puppet broke her neck. Her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Kagura never did find out why, but a small part of her was saddened that Frostbyte was now dead.

"Now," Naraku continued, "Wolf-boy, I shall be taking your Shikon fragments as well..." Kouga snarled as Naraku approached.


	46. The Chapter With No Name

"Fuyuka," a voice said from behind him as he watched over the village. "I heard that Yura and the others have deserted us."

"Lord Gyouka," Fuyuka responded as his master's visage appeared from the shadows. "It's true. They didn't want to partake in the fun, so I told them to get lost." He cracked his knuckles. "Is that okay?" His master nodded. "Good. Let's begin, shall we?"

"Destroy the village," Gyouka smiled sadistically, "Kill everyone you see. Think you can handle that?"

Fuyuka howled. "Just don't hog all the fun."

"I won't."

The two of them dashed to the city to begin their assault. However, there was one problem with their plan: Kikyou was not there. In preparation to their battle, the Shichinintai decided it was best to leave Kikyou with Tsuyu in InuYasha's village. There they waited with Hamaya and little Rin for the warriors to return home.

_(Shichinintai verses OniMukotsu...)_

The pink light dispersed and revealed the newly transformed OniMukotsu. He was no longer human now, but a ghastly demon set out to murder everyone around him. He glanced to his right, over his massive shoulder, at his former teammates, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu. He could take the lot of them out with one attack. He opened his mouth, revealing a nest of razor-sharp teeth. He made some disgusting nasal sounds, then hawked up some phlegm and spat it at them. An oozing green sludge jetted from his mouth and landed on his comrades, causing them to get stuck like flies on taffy. Then he diverted his gaze to the three in front of him and smiled evilly. "You three look pretty tasty from up here," he growled in a demonic voice, "I've always wondered what humans taste like..."

"Fucking asshole!" Suikotsu yelled out. "How the hell could you betray us to Naraku?" He bared his claws and dashed to his ex-friend. OniMukotsu just chuckled, and sent his clawed hand out. He caught Suikotsu and held him up to his mouth.

"It seems you wish to be the first," he sneered. He was just about to swallow when he felt a sharp pain. The Jakotsutou had severed his hand from his wrist, freeing Suikotsu. "Fucker," he growled. He looked down at Suikotsu who was just trying to stand up. "I'll show you!" And with that, he brought his other clawed hand down on top of Suikotsu, skewering him alive.

"Suikotsu!" Jakotsu cried. He dashed over to his fallen friend and held him in his arms. "Suikotsu! Don't die on me now!"

"Ja...-kotsu," it was his good persona now, "Sorry, but... it looks like... I'm not gonna be there... to see the birth of your kid." He chuckled softly. "I really wanted to be there, too." He looked into his brother's tear-filled eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Tell Kikyou I love her, will ya?" Jakotsu nodded. Suikotsu took his hand in his own and added, "I want you to know..." he gasped, then got control again. "I want you to know, I'm happy for you and Kikyou." His smile did not fade away. "I know you two will be great parents."

"Suikotsu," Jakotsu stuttered, but no other words would come. The sparkle in Suikotsu's eyes faded, and he knew he was gone. Still crying, he rested his head on his fallen brothers, and then regained himself. "Mukotsu," he whispered with vengeance, "I'm going to fucking kill him." He gently put Suikotsu down on the ground and stood back up. He looked OniMukotsu right in the eye and lifted his sword. "You hear that?" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm going to fucking KILL you!"

OniMukotsu just laughed. Then his laugh turned into a yelp as an unexpected surge of power belted him. Sekka had blasted a gigantic wave of ice at him, freezing his entire lower body. "You asshole!" she yelled, "He was really good looking, too!" She turned to Jakotsu. "Slice his fucking head off!"

Jakotsu looked at her for a moment. She was helping him... He wiped the final tears from his eyes and faced OniMukotsu once again, then let fly the Jakotsutou. The blade severed OniMukotsu's head from his body, and it landed on the ground with a dull thud. "Naraku," he whispered, "That bastard." He looked over at Sekka again. "You knew nothing about it, didn't you?" Sekka shook her head. "Fuck," he muttered, balling his hands into fists. "I'm not going to let him get away with this..."

Sekka's eyes lit up in terror. "Oh fuck," she muttered, putting her hands to her head. "Gyouka and Fuyuka are attacking your village as we speak! We gotta go stop 'em!"

Jakotsu smiled. "I'll leave that up to you and my brothers," he said as Kazan strolled up beside him. "I have to go help InuYasha destroy Naraku and KooriKisaki."

Sekka looked at Suikotsu's body. "Don't worry. We will give him a proper burial," she said sweetly. "Go. I'm sure InuYasha needs all the help he can get." Jakotsu mounted Kazan and sped away.

_(White Angels versus Black Angels...)_

InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Shippou, Kirara, Juuroumaru, Kageroumaru, Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Nobunaga, Ginta, Hakkaku, Kanna, Kohaku, Hakudoushi, Shirakiyo, Akizuki and the white robed angels... Kuronigori, Waruyoku and the black robed angels...

Mountains of ice surrounded the rectangular-shaped battlefield. In one corner stood a dark citadel, the home of the black angels. Shirakiyo had explained that Kuronigori hid at the top of the tower and could see the entire battle from there. He had failed to mention one important fact about her, however. "Kuronigori," he said as they approached the battlefield, "is my little sister."

Kagome looked up at the top of the citadel. There was a large window... a room overlooking the entire field. It must be Kuronigori's chamber, she thought. Her gaze went a little bit more north and that's when she saw it: a murder of black winged angels jetted up from the top of the tower and swooped down upon her and her friends. The battle had begun at last. She readied her bow and shot an arrow at one of the oncoming angels. It struck it and purified it.

Sango griped the Hiraikotsu and hurled it at one of the many black angels that were coming to her. The boomerang chopped the angel in half, and as it returned to her, it got a few more too. However, what she failed to realize was that a few were coming from behind, too. One was within arms reach of her when Kirara leapt up and tore it to shreds. "Thanks, Kirara," Sango smiled. Kirara growled a 'you're welcome' then continued to tear into the enemy.

Within minutes the battlefield had already become stained with the blood of good and wicked angels. Each side was putting up a good fight. Kuronigori watched this from the top of her tower. Her room was almost pitch black, except for the light pouring in from the window. To her right was the remains of the priestess Midoriko, resonating with the evil power of the black angels. She smiled wickedly as the fight below her raged on. Waruyoku had just taken his place on the field and was heading straight in the direction of Juuroumaru and Akizuki.

A small group of four angels made its way over to the four kids, Kanna, Kohaku, Hakudoushi and Shippou. One lashed out its clawed hand at them, and struck Kanna's mirror. It was sent back and managed to slice one of its own up into pieces. "Not too bright, these angels," Hakudoushi smirked. He raised his staff and twirled it around in the air. A wave of dark energy formed around him and he focused it to the three other angels. They all disintegrated right before their eyes. "Or strong," he added with another smirk.

"They may not be bright," Kohaku said, fighting off another one with his sickle, "Or strong, but they definitely have one thing going for them... They have huge numbers!" He was right. It seemed that for every one black angel that was taken down, two or three took its place.

Miroku had noticed this too. But he had a secret weapon that would get rid of a lot of them in one fell swoop. He griped his cursed hand and prepared to unleash his air hole, but something stopped him in his tracks. A swarm of Saimyoushou suddenly came out of nowhere, rendering his air hole useless. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "What are they doing here?"

Sesshoumaru and Jaken were now surrounded by a group of black angels. But both of them had wide grins on their faces. Sesshoumaru, wielding the Toukijin, and Jaken, wielding his staff, attacked the enemy head on and brought them all to the ground in seconds. "This certainly is easy, Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken beamed.

"Don't get too cocky," his master replied. A second wave of black angels dive-bombed them from above, bringing Jaken to the ground. Sesshoumaru scoffed, but then another angel came from behind and landed a hit. Sesshoumaru fell down too, but he griped his sword and unleashed a wave of energy. It was about this time he realized that the angel that had attacked him had already been taken down by one Kageroumaru.

"For once," the little snake demon smirked, "the toad is right. This IS easy!"

Nobunaga, Ginta and Hakkaku were also having next to no trouble in dealing with their enemy. Granted it was because most of the white angels were helping them out... but still. However, Juuroumaru and Akizuki were having a little trouble with Waruyoku. "What's wrong," he chuckled, "Is that all you've got?"

Akizuki gritted her teeth. "You know something, Waruyoku?" She cracked her knuckles. "I've really had enough of your shit." She leapt at him, plucked a feather from her wing, and threw it at him. The pointy end struck him and sent him flying a few feet backwards.

"Damn," Juuroumaru smiled. "What the hell do you have in those wings?" Akizuki laughed.

Kuronigori continued to watch the battle from the safety of her citadel. Then something caught her eye: InuYasha and Shirakiyo had made it past all the black angels and were right in front of the front door. "He's already led him this far," she whispered. "I wonder how father is doing right now..." She turned her gaze to Midoriko's body. Her eyes were starting to open...


	47. Kouga's Last Song: kimi wa inai ka?

Ginkotsu crept slowly up to the village outskirts and scanned the area. The entire village was on fire and people were running around frantically to try to escape with their lives. His gaze turned left, to Sekka. He frowned. "How do we know that this isn't a trap?" Sekka said nothing. She didn't have to. Ginkotsu could see it in her eyes. He saw fear and anger. "Right then..."

"I agree with Ginkotsu," Renkotsu whispered to Bankotsu. "How can we trust this ice witch?"

(I heard that! ... what a sweet thing to say.)

"Well," Bankotsu whispered back, "We can't, really. But we're gonna have to for now." He joined his brothers' glares at the village in ruin. They were too late to save more than half of the population, but they were not going to give up just yet.

"The thing is," Renkotsu muttered, "Why did Sekka just outright decide to help us?" He looked at her and saw that the fear had left her. It was just anger now. No, not anger. Rage...

Meanwhile, Kouga and Kagura were still staring Naraku down. He had just killed Frostbyte and taken some shards from her. They both knew what he was after now: Kouga's. Standing in front of Kagura, Kouga drew his sword and pointed it at Naraku. "Bastard," he shouted. "What do you think you're going to accomplish?"

"Ku ku ku," Naraku chuckled, "I know that you know the answer to that." He looked at his puppet that was hovering over Frostbyte's body. "If I did that to my comrade, just think what I'm gonna do to you." He smiled very sadistically at Kouga and showed them the Shikon Jewel. Both of them gasped at its sight. "The fool Mukotsu," he explained, "I tricked him into giving it to me. I promised him a pleasing body in exchange for it and his friends' lives. Can you believe it? He actually accepted." He chuckled again. "Things are coming along exactly as I had planned."

"You're planning on betraying KooriKisaki, aren't you..." Kagura muttered. Her father nodded.

"And I think I'm doing a smashing job if I do say so myself." His smiled faded. "Four more shards and then it's complete. I know only where two are. Therefore I need some time to look for the others." He cracked his knuckles and his wicked smile returned. "So I'm afraid I'll hafta make this as quick as possible."

Kouga smirked. "Fine by me." He was just about to lunge at his enemy when Kagura stopped him.

"Kouga," she uttered, taking his hand, "I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Aww," Naraku teased. "Isn't that sweet? I had no idea that you had feelings for each other." His expression turned confused. "I always thought you two hated each other."

"Well," Kagura growled, "If you had paid more attention to your kids, then maybe you'd know..."

"Don't try to lay any guilt trips on me," Naraku snapped, "That boat won't sail." He looked back over to his puppet. "Let's get this over with," he whispered. The puppet dashed towards its enemies and lashed its tentacles furiously at them. Kouga and Kagura jumped back, dodging the attacks, and returned one of their own. The puppet fell to the ground in pieces.

"Sure don't make 'em like you used to," Kagura smirked.

"Sure don't make 'em like you used to," Naraku said in a mocking tone of voice. "You should respect your elders, young lady."

"Fuck that," Kagura smiled. "Kouga? Let's take him down."

Naraku's insidious smile returned yet again.

Meanwhile, back at the black angel citadel, the battle was starting to get very tiring for everyone. Shippou had collapsed due to exhaustion, forcing the kids to make a decision: one had to leave the battle and take care of him. "I will do it," Kanna said. Kohaku and Hakudoushi nodded, then she took Shippou in her arms and carried him off. A pair of black angels swooped at her, but met with Kohaku and Hakudoushi's attacks.

"Akizuki," Waruyoku smiled, "So this is your new boyfriend, huh?"

Juuroumaru looked at him confused. "What does he mean by-" He was interrupted by Akizuki's scream of frustration as she leapt to Waruyoku and began an attack. "Ya, that works too." He formed his hand into a claw and helped her out. Both of them swiped at Waruyoku continuously, but he kept backing away. Then he folded his wings in front of him and flapped them, sending out a volley of razor sharp feather blades. Akizuki tried to dodge them, but couldn't get out of the line of fire in time. Fortunately for her, Juuroumaru was fast. He leapt in front of her and blocked all the blades. When the uplifted snow had settled he looked at her and smiled. "You gonna take that from his loser?" She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Fuck no!"

She folded her wings in front of her and sent out her own volley of blades at Waruyoku. He scoffed and simple stood out of the way. Of course what he failed to realize was that Juuroumaru was standing right beside him when he landed. Juuroumaru smiled, bared his fangs, and slashed at Waruyoku with his claws, slicing a gash down his chest. He fell to the ground in pain. "Damn it," he gasped. "I'm not going to be beaten buy these punks..." He raised his wings into the air. They started to glow with a bright white light. He started yelling Dragonball Z style and let fly all his feathers. A wall of blades sprang out from him in all directions.

Juuroumaru grabbed Akizuki and ran from the wall of blades that was following them. Some angels, white and black, perished as the wall moved past them. He spotted a ditch in the ground and leapt into it. The wall moved past. "You okay?" he panted.

"That was so cool!" she shouted excitedly, embracing him. He was unprepared for the hug, and lost his balance, falling backwards, and brought Akizuki down with him. She looked at his face, which was bright red, and couldn't help but laughing. Unfortunately, their good time was cut short due to a surprise attack buy a black angel. Juuroumaru slashed at it with his claws, ripping it to pieces. And upon closer inspection, they realized that it was Waruyoku. "That was cool too," Akizuki smiled.

_Owaranai ame... Dakishimeta... Yoru ga asa wo mukaeru... Kokoro wa mada nureta mama..._

Kouga stabbed at Naraku with his sword repeatedly, but the evil demon kept dodging the attacks. He leapt back and landed on the branch of one of the trees that surrounded them and laughed. Several puppet tentacles sliced upwards through the ground, almost cutting Kouga's legs, but he sensed it coming and was able to dodge them. Kagura flicked open her fan and aimed a barrage of wind blades at Naraku. They flew towards the tree, and chopped it up into tiny splinters. They unfortunately missed their real target though. Naraku had landed on another tree branch.

"Ku ku ku," he laughed. "I must say, Kagura, your aim has gotten worse." A tentacle sprang up from behind her and swatted her legs, causing her to loose her balance. But Kouga caught her.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded, and then they both turned to Naraku. "We hafta stop him!" Naraku laughed. "Well it's good you find this amusing..."

"It is indeed, wolf-boy," Naraku grinned. "It's a real shame I can't let this last longer. I really am having fun, but I have places to be, things to do, people to kill... You know how it is."

Kouga leapt up and flung his sword at Naraku. It pierced him, and caused him to loose his balance. Kouga then slashed at him with his claws. Naraku was in pieces before either of them even hit the ground. Kouga landed and looked at the heap that was once Naraku and smiled. "That wasn't so hard," he chuckled.

"No, it wasn't."

Kouga looked over at Kagura. Naraku had her in his clutches. "Fool!" he exclaimed, "That was just a puppet also! I wouldn't let you get the better of me that easily." He glanced down at Kagura. "You're a bothersome girl, you know that? I think I should just do away with you now."

"NO!" Kouga dashed towards them and stuck his claws right through Naraku's chest. Kagura pulled away and was just about to use her fan to blow him away, when one more tentacle jetted from the ground and ripped her fan up. It then tripped her and a few more sprang up and held her down. Kouga looked back at her and tried to pull free from Naraku, but he couldn't.

"Idiot," Naraku laughed as Kouga struggled to rip his arm out of his chest, "You fell right into my trap, like I knew you would." He grabbed Kouga's free arm and bent it in a way that arms should not be bent. The bone cracked and Kouga let out a yelp of pain. "You could have just given me the shards," he teased. "This would have save all of us the trouble."

"Bastard," Kouga stuttered.

Naraku frowned and thrust his own hand through Kouga's chest. Two tentacles came from the ground and ripped the Shikon shards from his legs, and then disappeared back into the ground. "I always get what I want," he smiled wickedly. "No matter what." His arm then ripped a huge gash up from Kouga's chest to his shoulder. He hung buy his arm that was still stuck in Naraku's chest, but not for much longer. Naraku transformed his arms into blades and sliced off the bothersome wolf-boy's arm, freeing him. Kagura saw the whole thing, but the tentacles would not let her move. "And now," Naraku continued, "With my labors finished, I bid you adieu." The tentacles loosened from Kagura as Naraku made his escape on a cloud of miasma.

Kagura crawled over to Kouga's mutilated body and she held him in her arms. "Kouga," she stuttered, "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't... apologize," Kouga gasped. "If anything... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..." He looked up into her tear filled eyes. "Kagura... I love you..."

"Kouga," she cried, "Don't say your goodbyes yet..."

"Kagura... promise me... you'll keep living..." he smiled. "You will keep on ... keeping on ... right?"

"I promise," she whispered.

"One... more thing," Kouga gasped. "I want... to apologize... for our past... All the times... we fought..."

"You don't need to apologize," Kagura said, still crying.

Kouga smiled again. "Kagura... it... really does give me... great joy to... to die in your arms..." He closed his eyes, took in his last breath, and that was it. Kouga was dead.


	48. The Betrayal

Their house had burnt to the ground. Her husband had died trying to defend his family. Now it was just this mother and her son, running from the raging inferno of Gyouka and Fuyuka. She and her son fled, as did many other people. However, more than half of the village's population had already been slaughtered. Fuyuka's wolves and Gyouka's bats were tearing into the bodies that littered the carnage. Some of the people they were eating were still alive too.

"This is too much," Fuyuka laughed as he ripped his claws through an innocent man. "I can't believe Yura and them didn't want to do this!" He stopped and looked around. He smelled her scent. "Ah, Sekka's come to join us. She must have destroyed the Syee-tree-neen-tie... or whatever the fuck they're called..." He sniffed again. "Or maybe not..." The giant man-tank was crawling over to him. It had four passengers: a giant of a man, two kids, and ... her? "Sekka!" he exclaimed, "What's the meaning of this?"

Ginkotsu stopped and Sekka jumped off. "I have a rather large bone to pick with you, wolfy," she growled. Fuyuka looked at her confused, but decided to listen. "I know."

"What?"

"I said I know."

"You know what?"

Sekka closed her eyes as they began to tear up. "I know," she began, but her voice broke. She sniffed, and regained herself. "I know about you and those assassins." Fuyuka's eyes went huge. How the hell could she possibly know that? Did Frostbyte tell her? "I know you hired them to murder Hiten. I've always known..."

"Sekka-"

"Shut up!" She blasted him with a large ball of ice that sent him flying a few feet back. "How the fuck could you do that to me?" She blasted another blast at him, belting him right in the face. "I loved him! I know you knew that! So why the fuck did you do it?"

"Sekka," Fuyuka stuttered, "I wanted to be with you. I've... always wanted to be with you..."

Sekka giggled angrily. "You've always wanted to be with me? My dear Fuyuka, we've been friends since the time I rescued you from that pit that your little brother pushed you down. You've had plenty of time to tell me since then!" She blasted him again, but instead of letting himself get hit, he jumped out of the way and dashed towards her. He stood right in front of her and grabbed her arms tightly.

"Stop doing that!" he growled. "You don't wanna hafta have me teach you a lesson, do you?" He bared his teeth. "'Cause you know I can do that very... very well...-"

"Gishi." A loud crashing sound occurred, and a strange device shot from the man-tank. It was a steel wire attached to a metal disk. It struck Fuyuka in the forehead, causing him to loosen his grip on Sekka and fall back wards. The steel wire then wrapped him up, disenabling him to move. Sekka looked back at the remnants of the Shichinintai and smiled. Ginkotsu retracted his wire, pulling Fuyuka closer to them. "Move," he whispered, "and I'll tighten the wire, chopping you up into tiny slivers."

(That was Jakotsu's idea, obviously... gishishishi.)

Fuyuka was now subdued, but there was still one more person they had to deal with: Gyouka, general of KooriKisaki's army. The head honcho. The numero uno. The big cheese.

(Those Pizza Cats beat me again! I think I'm gonna explode here, waa –BOOM!–)

Shirakiyo and InuYasha stared down the giant front door to Kuronigori's citadel. "So your sister's just in here, huh?" InuYasha muttered. "Stand back then." Shirakiyo took a step back as InuYasha performed his signature Scar of the Wind on the door, reducing it to pieces. "Feh, after you." Shirakiyo nodded and ran into the chamber, followed by InuYasha. Along the way up the many flights of winding stairs they met with very little turbulence. Really it was just a few doors that stood in their way. Either Kuronigori had a lot of self-confidence in herself, or she was a complete moron. Soon they reached the top of the tower and there stood one final door. InuYasha once again performed the Scar of the Wind to knock it down. They entered the chamber.

A giant window overlooked the battlefield, and to the right of it was Midoriko's body, resonating with evil magic. Other than that, the room was pitch black. InuYasha sniffed the room and caught a scent immediately. "What?" he said confused. "Why do I smell Naraku?"

"That's probably me you're smelling," a female voice said from within the shadows. Kuronigori's visage appeared before them from the dark corner of her room with a big grin spread across. "You see, I am a detachment of Naraku, so that's why I smell like him."

InuYasha's eyes twitched. "What did you just say?" He looked over at Shirakiyo. "She's a detachment of Naraku?" he exclaimed. "But I thought she was your sister!"

"Oh," Shirakiyo smiled, "she is. So I think that even you can figure the rest out for yourself, dog-boy."

InuYasha growled. "You fucking bastards. This was a set-up all along, wasn't it?"

The sound of applause came from the shadows. "And the last horse crosses the finish line," Naraku's voice taunted as he came into view. "Shirakiyo and Kuronigori are born of me, like Kanna, Hakudoushi," he paused, and then an evil smile crossed his face, "and Kagura." He held up the Shikon Jewel. It was covered in blood. Wolf blood.

InuYasha felt some of his strength leave him when he smelled it. "Kouga?" he stuttered.

"Ku ku ku," Naraku giggled. "He's enjoying a nice quiet ride down the river Stix-"

"Um," Kuronigori muttered, "Isn't that a Greek thing?" Naraku shrugged.

"Bastards!" InuYasha growled again. "You'll pay for this!" He unleashed the Scar of the Wind at the three demons in front of him. The blast cut through all of them and the window, blowing it and the entire tope floor to smithereens. Kuronigori perished in the attack, but Naraku and Shirakiyo managed to make it out in time.

"My fellow white angels," he boomed to his companions, "It is time to go to the next step of the plan." He looked down at Kagome and sneered wickedly. The white angels turned their attacks from the black angels to InuYasha's party. Juuroumaru looked at the sight in horror and glanced at Akizuki, who seemed to be just as stunned as he was.

"You traitors," he growled softly.

"What?" Akizuki said, taking a step back, "I don't know what's going on!"

Juuroumaru glared at her, then back to the battlefield. "Shit."

InuYasha leapt from the explosion of the late Kuronigori's citadel and landed right by Kagome, Miroku and Sango. "What's going on?" Kagome stuttered. "Why are the white angels attacking us?"

"Shirakiyo," InuYasha muttered angrily, "That son of a bitch. He's a detachment of Naraku. The thing is... why doesn't he smell like Naraku?"

"Perhaps it was part of the trap," Miroku suggested. "If he smelled like Naraku from the very beginning, we would have known about the whole thing."

"There's another thing," InuYasha whimpered. "Naraku... murdered Kouga."

Kagome gasped and fell to her knees. InuYasha helped her back up and held her in his arms. She started to cry softly. "Kouga's..." She pushed away from InuYasha gently and took an arrow from her quiver. "Where is Shirakiyo?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. InuYasha pointed up into the air, where Shirakiyo was hovering. Kagome held the arrow and purified it. "His incessant flirting was really annoying," she muttered as she aimed the purified arrow at him. She readied the bow and –twang!– let it fly. Shirakiyo wasn't watching, unfortunately for him, and it pierced him right in the heart. He looked down at Kagome, still in the position of just having fired the arrow.

"Ka...gome?" he stuttered. His wings disintegrated and he fell to the ground. He landed a few feet in front of Akizuki and Juuroumaru, who came running over to him. He lay there, still alive, and looked up into her eyes.

"You betrayed us," she whispered. "I thought we were friends..."

"Heh," Shirakiyo smiled, "I never said we weren't friends, Akizuki." She turned her back from him as Kagome and InuYasha joined them. Shirakiyo looked up at Kagome and smiled. Kagome did not return the jester however. "I really do like you, Kagome," he said sweetly. "I wish things had been different."

"So do I," Kagome muttered. Shirakiyo closed his eyes. "So do I..."

Meanwhile, Miroku and all the others were busy trying to take care of the black and white angels. If only those damn Saimyoushou weren't there; then Miroku could suck up the whole lot of them into his air void. Suddenly, a gust of wind crashed down upon the battlefield. The Saimyoushou were all instantly chopped up into tiny pieces. Miroku looked back to see Kagura floating on one of her giant feathers. "Monk," she said, "Suck them up." Miroku nodded and unleashed his air hole, sucking up all the black angels and all the white angels, save for Akizuki who was actually on their side.

Kagura flew over to InuYasha. "Kagura," he said, "I'm really sorry about..." he trailed off.

"It's time we put an end to Naraku once and for all," she answered back. "Agreed?"

InuYasha nodded. "Juuroumaru, he's your dad too. You want in?" Juuroumaru nodded. "Okay. Kagome... I want you and everyone else to go back to the village for safety."

"But-"

"Please," he said, taking her hands in his. "I don't want you to get hurt." She nodded.

"Be careful," she said, kissing him.

"I will."

InuYasha, Juuroumaru and Kagura looked towards the citadel. Naraku was standing on top of it. He leapt backwards and started fleeing. They glanced at each other, nodded, and then took off after him. Kagome and Akizuki were joined by Kanna. "Come," she whispered. "Let's get back home." She smiled. "I'm sure they'll be alright."

"But," Kagome began, "Will the three of them be enough to stop him?"

"Not three," Kanna said looking into her mirror. She showed Kagome a picture of Jakotsu riding Kazan. He was only a few minutes ride from the battlefield. "All four of them... will definitely take him out. Come, let's go." And with that, OmegaNihon and ChikaraEki left the battlefield to get to the safety of their village, and to reencounter with Kikyou at Tsuyu's place. The final battle was about to begin, but all they could do was watch in fear.


	49. Midoriko's Solution

The black night sky was covered by dark storm clouds. A snowstorm had begun. A very fitting mood indeed. Ginkotsu stayed back and watched over the subdued Fuyuka as Bankotsu, Kyoukotsu and Renkotsu, with the added help of Sekka, stared down Gyouka, the head general of KooriKisaki's army of ice demons. He was not impressed by what stood before him. Bankotsu with his giant halberd was nothing more than a showoff. Renkotsu with his flames may prove to be a bit of a problem, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Kyoukotsu the giant looked intimidating, but Gyouka felt nothing from him. He was nothing more then a giant ape. Sekka on the other hand...

"Sekka," Gyouka called out, "What is the meaning of this treachery?"

"Having your boyfriend murdered by assassins that were hired by your alleged friend can have that affect on a person," she answered with a mock smile.

"Indeed. So what does this mean then?"

"I think you know the answer to that." She looked back to Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Kyoukotsu. "Well boys," she said, "I've been officially kicked off the opposing team. Will yours accept me?"

Bankotsu smiled. "Lets take Frosty the Snowman out." He raised Banryuu into the air and twirled it around for a few seconds. Then he threw it down into the ground, where it gathered up a huge amount of energy. The energy propelled him and the sword up into the air where a huge ball of electricity formed. "Let's see how you can cope with this," he smirked. "My Ryuuraisen attack..." The glowing ball of electricity gathered energy from the storm clouds and increased twofold in size. "You see," he continued, "I would have needed to spare some energy to call my own thunderstorm... But because of the storm clouds that are already here, this attack will be at full power." He sneered as the ball of electricity exploded, shooting thousands of electrical beams in random places around the village.

"Bankotsu!" Renkotsu yelled, "There's innocent people down here! What the hell are you thinking?" But just as the bolts of electricity were about to hit the ground, they all turned and faced towards Gyouka and shot towards him. He was engulfed in an electrical explosion that left nothing but a smoking crater.

"You were saying, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu smirked as he landed back on the ground.

"Okay," Renkotsu muttered, "I guess I owe you an apology-"

He was interrupted by the sound of mocking laugher. "Idiot," Gyouka snickered as he floated up from the smoking crater. "Do you really think a bunch of lightning can defeat me?" He held his hand out in front of him and opened it, sending a full force of ice energy at Bankotsu. But Renkotsu managed to blow some fire in its path, canceling it out. "Do you think that you will be able to win? Fools!"

Sekka rolled her eyes. "Anyways," she muttered as she dashed towards him. She clasped her hands together and leapt at her ex-general. She tried to bring her hands down on him, but he blocked her with his arms and pushed her back. She landed on her knees, but leapt back up again to deliver a second attack.

"Shouldn't we help her?" Bankotsu suggested.

"Already ahead of you," Renkotsu smiled as he took a sip of his flammable liquid. He sprayed a stream of fire at Gyouka, which hit him dead on. But it did no damage to him. "Shit." He dashed back to Ginkotsu, as that's where his cannon was resting. He lifted it up and checked it out. "Damn," he muttered, "There're only two shots left. Better make 'em count." He ran back to rejoin the fight. Bankotsu, Kyoukotsu and Sekka were all in there duking it out with Gyouka. Bankotsu slashed at Gyouka with Banryuu, but he kept managing to avoid the hit. Sekka blasted him with her ice magic, but he would always cancel it out with his own. Kyoukotsu threw punch after punch, but again he kept dodging.

"Dammit," Bankotsu muttered. "How can we beat this guy?" Then it hit him... the very attack that did him in; his ultimate attack. "It's the only way..." He held Banryuu over his head and began to spin it around. In the very center of its spinning, a small red orb began to form.

Gyouka chuckled. "What's this then? A last ditch effort to thwart me?"

Renkotsu took a step back. "Bankotsu, are you sure about this?" he stuttered.

"Very," Bankotsu said as the orb grew bigger and bigger. "But it needs more energy."

"Right," Renkotsu nodded and blasted his two shots into the orb. It immediately increased in size by two or three times.

"More!"

"That's all I have, Bankotsu!" Renkotsu cried. Then he turned to Sekka. She nodded and blasted the orb with her own ice magic. The orb was now easily twenty feet in diameter, hovering over Bankotsu's head. He looked directly at Gyouka and smiled.

"Fool!" Gyouka yelled. "You will not beat me!" He dashed forwards and powered up an ice magic spell and aimed it at his enemy. Bankotsu threw his arm forwards and sent the giant orb of demonic energy at Gyouka, and it engulfed him. It broke through the ground and continued going forwards for a while, even after it hit its target. It finally stopped a few meters behind where Gyouka was standing and disintegrated, taking Ice Army General Gyouka with it. When the blast had completely dissipated, Bankotsu fell over.

"Bankotsu!" Renkotsu exclaimed as he dashed to his fallen brother. "Bankotsu, are you okay?"

Bankotsu chuckled. "I really don't know my own strength. Renkotsu, scoop me up." Renkotsu helped him to his feet. They both looked around and saw only Kyoukotsu standing in the battlefield. "Where's Sekka?"

She was over by Ginkotsu. Fuyuka, still tied up by his steel wires, sat in front. He growled as Sekka approached. "You've been a bad boy, Fuyuka," she said. "I know your other little secret, too." She stood in front of him and knelt down so that their eyes were level. Then she thrust the index and middle fingers of her right hand into his throat, and ripped out two fragments of the Shikon Jewel. He coughed and fell over. She closed her hand over the jewel fragments, and then began to feel a little weird.

_(You have a pure heart.)_

"What?" she gasped. "Who said that?" The others seemed to be able to hear it too.

_(My name is Midoriko. I am the creator of the Shikon Jewel. I sense that you in fact have a pure heart, not a wicked one. You were merely led astray. You have definitely proved to be strong and courageous. Now, do one final task for me...)_

Sekka nodded. "I can't do it alone, though." She turned to Bankotsu and Renkotsu. "I need one of you to help me take these shards to Midoriko."

Bankotsu and Renkotsu exchanged glances. "Okay," Bankotsu said, "Here's what we will do. Renkotsu, you, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu take Suikotsu's body back to InuYasha's village for a proper burial. Look after Fuyuka too." Renkotsu nodded. "But find all the survivors you can first and help them."

"Of course, Bankotsu."

"Sekka and I," Bankotsu continued, "will take the shards back to Midoriko." Renkotsu nodded again, and then joined Ginkotsu. Sekka then joined Bankotsu. "So, how are we gonna bring her these shards anyways?"

Sekka smiled. "I have a friend who can help us." She put her thumb and index finger into her mouth and blew a shrill whistle. After a few seconds, the storm clouds above parted, and a great white Chinese dragon floated down. "Ain't he cute," she smiled as it landed beside them. "His name is Gentoumaru." She climbed aboard the dragon and helped Bankotsu up. The both gave Renkotsu and company one last look, then took off into the air to return the shards to Midoriko.

"Come on, guys," Renkotsu said to Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu. "Let's go and see if there's any survivors."

"Right"

"Gishi." Ginkotsu retracted the steel wire and pulled Fuyuka up in top of him for transportation.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself as he was pulled across the cold ground, "taken prisoner by a large vehicle... could this get anymore humiliating..."

"Probably," Ginkotsu muttered as they went into the village.

_-The Chase...-_

Meanwhile, back at the winter wasteland that was once the home of the evil angels, InuYasha, Juuroumaru and Kagura were chasing Naraku through the mountains. He had a good twenty meters lead, but they were catching up with him fast. They too were being followed, however. A single Hyoukoumori fluttered behind them, out of sight. It knew what Naraku was planning. It knew, because _she_ knew...


	50. The Chase

The night sky was pitch black and covered with dark storm clouds. The heavy snow dropped from them in large volleys, causing everything on the ground to turn an eerie white. The trees were covered with snow. The ground was covered with snow. The houses of their villages were covered with snow. The temperature had dropped dramatically over the past few minutes, and the wind had also picked up. Naraku leapt from treetop to treetop, causing the snow to drop to the forest floor. They were gaining on him now, and it was only a matter of time before they caught him. But he was so close...

He landed on another branch and looked back over his shoulder. He could not see them, but he knew they were there. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, and continued tree hopping. He grasped the almost whole Shikon Jewel tightly in his hand. Just two more shards and it would be whole, but he did not know where they were. However, he did have a good guess... That woman, Frostbyte, had taken some fragments from him. He knew that. And that wolf-boy, her friend... He had made a guess that it was the wolf-boy who had the other shards. "He's at Kikyou's village," he whispered to himself, "When I loose these amateurs that are behind me, I will go to the village and take them back." He sneered. His plan was finally coming to a close. Soon he would have the entire jewel and would be able to rid the world of all those who would oppose him.

"Naraku!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the dog-boy's call. InuYasha, Juuroumaru and Kagura were in sight now, and they were catching up quickly. He could run no longer. He smiled. "So it's a fight they want," he said, stopping on a branch and turning to face them. "Then, it's a fight they'll get." He stood there on the branch and watched them approach. These three were their last line of marauders. That was fine. He could take them all out with ease. He looked at the jewel and smirked. "Just come a little bit closer..."

They could see him now. He was standing on a lone branch of a tree, watching them. "Bastard," InuYasha growled lowly, "What the hell is he doing?" They slowed their pace, knowing that it was a trap, but they still rushed into it head on. All three of them were set on bringing Naraku down and taking the Shikon Jewel away from him. Finally, they reached him. "Naraku!" InuYasha called, pointing Tessaiga at him. "You bastard, we're taking you down!" Juuroumaru cracked his knuckles and Kagura flipped open her fan.

But Naraku just laughed. "Fools," he said, "You do not know what you are dealing with." He held up the jewel. "It may not be whole, but it will give more than enough energy to take the three of you out." The jewel started to glow with black light, which engulfed Naraku as well. Then he leapt off the tree branch and into the air. He hovered above the forest, arms and legs stretched out. Then, out of nowhere, he spat out an enormous volley of demons every which way.

InuYasha sliced at the oncoming demons with his sword. Juuroumaru and Kagura helped out, but they soon realized there were too many of them. And on top of that, Naraku had escaped. "Fuck," InuYasha muttered as he powered up the Scar of the Wind. "Get outta our way!" He unleashed the energy at the demons and destroyed them all in one swing. They continued their pursuit.

"Perhaps I've underestimated them," Naraku pondered as he made his escape. More dark energy was released from the jewel and into his body. "Those were just weak demons however. Maybe now..." He turned around and faced his enemy and sent out another volley of demons. This time however he spared nothing. Instead of about forty or fifty like last time, there were hundreds of them. They all dashed towards InuYasha and his party with the intent of killing them. They lashed at them with their claws and fangs and tails and every other weapon they had in their arsenal.

One came at InuYasha, fangs and claws bared, and slashed at him with its tail. But it was nothing the dog demon couldn't handle. He swung the Tessaiga at it and ripped it to shreds. "Man," he grunted, "These demons sure are weak." Suddenly, one jumped him from behind, knocking his sword from his hands. It landed a hit with its giant hand right in the dog demon's gut, causing him to fall over.

"What was that, dog boy?" the demon hissed. "We're weak are we...?"

InuYasha looked into its gaping jaws. "Dammit..."

Meanwhile, everyone had made it back safely to InuYasha's village. The remnants of the Shichinintai saved everyone they could from the ruins of their old village. Kikyou, about seven and a half months pregnant, knelt beside the two fresh graves in prayer. Everyone else was in InuYasha's house, because he was the only one with a big screen TV. Kanna had hooked her mirror up to it so they could watch the battle from the comfort of their own home. Of course, they all felt guilty for not being able to help out their friends. This was the first time that they were all together. They were all praying that it would not be the last...

The demon hovered over InuYasha with the intent to gobble him up whole and alive. But suddenly a flash of light shot out from the darkness of the trees and cut the demon up to ribbons. InuYasha got to his feet and peered into the trees. He heard the growl of a cat demon from above and looked up. Renkotsu's cat demon, Kazan, was busy ripping up the demons in the air. He looked back to the trees. A figure stood there now. "Jakotsu," he smiled.

"Why is it," Jakotsu inquired, "that you always seem to need other people to get you out of tight situations?"

"Why is it," InuYasha said in a sarcastic tone, folding his arms, "that you always seem to be late?"

Jakotsu laughed. "Well we can't all be perfect."

InuYasha nodded and picked up the Tessaiga and sent out the Scar of the Wind, killing the rest of the demons. "We're all together now," he said. InuYasha, Juuroumaru, Kagura and Jakotsu. The last force against Naraku. They dashed forwards and once again continued their pursuit. He had gotten a good lead on them, but they would catch up. The lone Hyoukoumori would too. It sat there, perched on a branch and watched them take off. It flapped its wings and took off itself, staying well out of sensing range.

Naraku looked back and saw the four of them, plus the cat demon, chasing after him. "Damn," he muttered when he saw Jakotsu, "Mukotsu must not have killed them." He laughed. "I wasn't really expecting him to anyways." He looked down at the jewel. The dark energy that was coming from it started glowing with a bright light. "Midoriko," he whispered.

_(That is correct. I sincerely hope that you are not planning an escape.)_

Naraku chuckled. "What makes you think I won't escape?"

_(I know you will not. Everything is happening as _I_ have foreseen.)_

"And what have you foreseen?"

_(Your downfall.)_

The white light grew dark again. Midoriko had left him. "Dammit," he grunted. "I'm not going to let them get the better of me!" He quickened his pace. He looked back over his shoulder, hoping that they were out of sight, but they were not. They were still there, gaining speed. They would catch him. It was merely a matter of time. "Fine," he said, stopping, "It seems the only way I can get rid of them is if I do it myself right now..."

"Shit!" Inuyasha growled. "He's stopped again! Dammit, I don't wanna hafta go through anymore of his fucking demons!"

_(You won't have to.)_

All four of them stopped. "Who said that?" Jakotsu asked. No one of their party answered.

_(I am Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon Jewel. Naraku's angels exhumed my remains in hopes to get control of it. I was one step ahead of them however. Because of my resurrection, I am now able to once and for all destroy the jewel. But I cannot do that until it is whole.)_

"How are we gonna make it whole?" InuYasha inquired.

_(Do not worry about that. I have already dispatched someone to make sure that it becomes whole. All you need to do is get it to them.)_

"Who?" Jakotsu asked. "Who do we need to get it to?"

_(Friends of yours.)_

"Bankotsu and Sekka," Jakotsu said.

"Right!" InuYasha growled. "Let's kick Naraku's ass, and get the jewel to them!" He stopped. "Wait, Sekka?"

Jakotsu smiled. "Mukotsu betrayed us. She helped us beat him."

InuYasha nodded and they continued the chase. Naraku was a few meters ahead of them, smiling wickedly. He unleashed a wave of demonic energy at his enemy. InuYasha smiled and ran up to him and shouted, "Naraku! This is the end of the road!" He leapt up and raised the Tessaiga over his head. "Your demonic energy is more good to me than you! BAKU...RYUU...HA!" Tornados of energy whipped from the blade and combined with Naraku's evil energy, and sent the whole conglomeration back at him. He was engulfed by InuYasha's ultimate attack and all that remained when the smoke settled was a few bits of falling ash.

"Haha!" Jakotsu called out. "We beat him!"

Juuroumaru and Kagura on the other hand didn't think it was time yet to celebrate. "I'm still getting a bad feeling," Juuroumaru muttered. Kagura nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Did you not see that cool thing InuYasha did?"

"They're right, Jakotsu," InuYasha snarled. They all averted their gaze to the left. Naraku was standing there, smiling evilly, holding up the Shikon Jewel.

"Fools," he chuckled sarcastically, "It's going to take more than that to beat me."

"Fuck," InuYasha muttered under his breath, "I don't have an attack that's stronger than that..."


	51. The Church of Memories

Disclaimer: Lyrics to "Queen of Winter, Throned" are the property of Cradle of Filth.

"Fuck," InuYasha muttered to himself as Naraku watched over them from the tree branch, "The Bakuryuuha is my strongest attack..."

"Ku ku ku," Naraku chuckled, "What's wrong InuYasha? Is that all you've got?" He squeezed the jewel and released more of its dark energy. "Let me show you what I have then." He opened his hand out in front of him and powered up a ball of purple energy and blasted it at InuYasha and co. It hit the ground between where they were standing and exploded, sending them all flying in different directions.

InuYasha struggled to his feet. Then he heard her voice again.

_(The Shikon Jewel is helping Naraku. But it can also help you.)_

"Huh?" he uttered in disbelief. "How?"

_(You will know when the time is right.)_

He sweatdropped. "So you're not going to help me after all?" The voice did not answer. "Feh! Fine then." Then he saw it. The Scar of the Wind: where the two opposing winds touched, right in front of his opponent. Then the scar turned dark purple: the Shikon Jewel's dark energy. Then it hit him. The scar became jagged, like crystal. He had to slice across it, so he leapt into it and did just that. Naraku leapt back and scoffed when he didn't hit him. But he didn't have to. He landed and looked at his sword in disbelief. It had turned crystalline. "What the...?"

_(The Shikon Jewel can give power to whomever it chooses. This is your new ability: the Kongousouha!)_

He looked up at Naraku. Small fragments of crystal were forming in front of him. "I get it now," he said. He swung the Tessaiga out in front of him and shouted the name of his new attack: "KONGOU...SOU...HAAA!" Several more crystal fragments appeared from the Tessaiga, all aimed at Naraku.

"What's this?" he said, stunned. The fragments of crystal dashed towards him at amazing speed, and before he could react, he was cut to ribbons. The Shikon Jewel fell from his hand and landed in the soft snow. Naraku was beaten.

The Tessaiga returned to normal. "Is it over now?" InuYasha asked. He looked at the jewel. He ran to it, but before he could grab it, the Hyoukoumori beat him to it. It gathered the energy from the jewel and sped away. "Fuck!" InuYasha screamed, punching the ground. "After it!" The chase continued once again.

Meanwhile, Sekka and Bankotsu were flying over Musashi's Domain on the back of her dragon, Gentoumaru. Midoriko had asked them to bring the Shikon fragments that Fuyuka was carrying to InuYasha and his party. They still had a ways to go to catch up to them however. And within the past few minutes, they had come across some nasty traffic. Hyoukoumori, Yukikyuu, Kooriookami and Toukaibutsu were ironically hot on their trail. They attacked the dragon, but Sekka and Bankotsu managed to hold them off.

"This isn't going well," Bankotsu muttered as he punched an ice bat away. Suddenly, from the ground in front of them, a huge blast of frozen gas shot up. A large group of Toukaibutsu had gathered together and aimed all their blasts at the dragon and its passengers at the same time. Gentoumaru flew around the blast as best as he could, but couldn't entirely dodge the blast. He whimpered in pain as it hit his side. He righted himself and flew higher, hoping the Toukaibutsu couldn't reach.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, a blast of lightning shot from the sky and destroyed the entire group of the ice demons. A thundercloud floated down from the sky. It was Manten, Souten and Yura. "Yo!" Yura called out to her friend. "What's happening?"

"We're on a mission from Midoriko," Sekka answered. She turned to Bankotsu. "Isn't that right, Elwood?"

He smiled. "Of course, Jake."

"Oh," she answered with glee, "You've seen that movie, too?"

He nodded. "I love it. My favorite part was when they-"

"Ya, ya," she said, waving him off, "That's great." She put her hands up to her mouth. "Hey, Yura!" she called, "Would you mind helping us out?"

"Of course not," Yura called back. "We'll cover you."

"Thanks, guys..."

_(The Church of Memories...)_

InuYasha and his party finally found the edge of the forest. A huge wasteland of snow, ice and coldness stood before them. And right in the center of it all was a giant fortress. Walls of frozen stone surrounded its inner courtyard, which was filled with old dead trees. In the posterior part of the courtyard was a giant tower that overlooked the entire wasteland. This was the fortress of the Ice Army, nicknamed by some "The Church of Memories."

"Exalt," Jakotsu whispered to himself, "the queen of death-white winter enthroned... evil resplendent, in dusk red seething skies... foam-flecked nightmares drag a moon... of Draconian design..."

They ran up to the wall and InuYasha unleashed his Scar of the Wind, breaking a whole in it. They all entered and met with no resistance, which made them feel really uneasy. "Why are there no guards?" InuYasha muttered. "You'd think there was at least one!"

They arrived at the base of the tower. A huge wooden door loomed in front of them. But one more Scar of the wind took care of that problem. The door was bashed open, but it did not come off its hinges. They peered inside; their hearts were racing. A corridor. They followed it to another door. This one they didn't need to use the Scar of the Wind on. It opened on its own.

The inside of the ice fortress definitely looked nothing like the outside. It was a rectangular shaped room. The ceiling was high from the ground. Six pillars, three on each of the longer walls, jetted up from the granite floor. The floor, walls and ceiling were all a dull gray color. There was a red carpet that ran from the door to the far wall. At the end of the carpet, there was a thrown resting in front of a red brick altar. Standing in front of the thrown, with her back turned towards them, was a woman wearing a pink gown with her long purple hair tied up in a ponytail. It was Queen La Saia.

"La Saia!" InuYasha gasped. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"I've been waiting for you for... a long time," she answered. She spun around and added, "Here, in the middle of this wasteland..." There were two flashes of light, and then she finally revealed herself to them. Her skin had grown paler. Her hair had gone from up in a pony tail to worn down. Her purple shell crown appeared. Her dress changed to an icy blue color. She was KooriKisaki, queen of the ice.

InuYasha nearly fell over due to shock. "N-no," he stuttered, shaking his head, "La Saia?"

KooriKisaki cackled. "Fool! Queen La Saia has been dead for years now!" A cold wind blew in from the corners of the room and surrounded the ice queen. Ice then began to form all around the room. The dull gray granite color had gone a sad cold blue. The relatively warm air had dropped to freezing temperatures. "I heard that the Shikon Jewel had resurfaced," she explained, "And that it had been broken, shattered if you will, by a stupid little girl." InuYasha growled. "I know how powerful it is," she continued, "I have been after it for quite some time now. Then I heard about La Saia. She had gained a fragment of the jewel, so I decided to pay her a little visit. I killed her and assumed her form." She grinned. "You fools! It has been me that you've been chumming around with all along!"

"Wow," Juuroumaru muttered, "That's heavy."

"Then," the ice queen continued again, "Naraku came into the picture. He had had some little tiff with a woman and wanted revenge on her." She scoffed. "What an airhead. Anyways... When he joined up with me, I promised him that I would help him search for the jewel." She cackled again. "I never intended to share it with him. I merely used him to get it. And now..." She held up her hand and showed them the Shikon Jewel. "And now I finally have it." From her hand, a white mist formed around the jewel. "Naraku let Midoriko get the better of him, but I'm not that foolish." A layer of ice instantly covered the jewel. "Now it is mine." She laughed wickedly. "And you four shall be the first to taste my newly acquired powers!"

This was it. This was the final battle. Her generals, Shimoka, Fuyuka, Sekka and Gyouka, and their henchmen, Frostbyte, Icehaken, Icykal and Friezer, had been beaten. Naraku and all of his subordinates had been beaten. All the other miscellaneous enemies had been beaten. Now this was it: InuYasha, Juuroumaru, Kagura and Jakotsu against the queen of death-white winter, KooriKisaki. And with the added power of the Shikon Jewel, she was next to unstoppable.

_ Darkness _

_ In raven feathered dress _

_ Sides with Death at chess _

_ Their pawns are many and the enemy _

_ Powerless _

_ When the miscreants fell dead _

_ She took to conjuring spells in the cusp of the night _

_ And the bestial floor shook with terrible life _

_ I rise before thee Queen _

_ To feed our lusts on the blood of the weak _

_ To rule heaven and worlds crawling beneath _

_ Satanic Tyranny_

InuYasha tightened his grip on Tessaiga's handle. Juuroumaru cracked his knuckles. Kagura flicked open her fan. Jakotsu unsheathed the Jakotsutou. Kazan growled. KooriKisaki smiled wickedly and powered up an ice blast and aimed it at the party.


	52. The Final Fight Pt 1

The fear and worrying for their friends had finally taken its toll on most of them. Nobunaga, Tsuyu and the little monkey Hiyoshimaru had fallen asleep. Miroku and Sango were struggling to stay awake, but they both were finding their eyelids to be too heavy. They went out eventually. Shippou, cuddling up with Kirara, lay on the couch; it was definitely too much for him. It was too much for the other youngest kids too: Hakudoushi and Rin were laying in their sleeping bags on the floor. Kanna and Kohaku on the other hand had not yet succumbed to sleep. But they both knew it was lingering just a few metaphorical feet away.

_(Don't worry, Kagura... You've got someone watching out for you...)_

Jaken had fallen asleep behind the couch, but Sesshoumaru, Kageroumaru and Akizuki were still watching the big screen television. Watching the fight raging on. A bright white mist had covered the room of the ice queen. It was hard to see the goings on in there, but they knew. They knew.

_(Juuroumaru... Hang in there...)_

"Lady Kikyou," Hamaya's voice cracked, "Mr. Suikotsu...?"

Kikyou opened her eyes. She was still kneeling in front of the two fresh graves; Ginta and Hakkaku had joined her, but were completely silent. She turned and looked directly into Hamaya's eyes. He looked so different compared to when she first saw him. When Suikotsu had first brought him home, he was beaten up really badly, but his eyes were filled with hope and life. Now it was almost completely inversed. He had been letting his hair grow longer, and all the cuts and scraps had long since disappeared. But his eyes were dark and full of fear. She guessed that her own probably looked similar. A tear trickled down her face.

_(Jakotsu... You'll come back... Right?)_

Myouga had joined the scene a few moments prior to the succumbing of sleep. He sat on Kagome's shoulder; both of them were staring into that idiot box. The mist had gotten thicker. It was now a lot more difficult to see the battle. She then realized that she was holding a piece of paper. It was the seven-and-a-half month old 'Battle of the Bands' announcement that Kikyou had given to them. She pried her eyes away from the TV and looked at it. Memories of the concert and other good times came rushing back to her. She prayed that there would be more to come in the future. She prayed...

_(Please... InuYasha... All of you... Come home safely... You have to... You...)_

Renkotsu, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu had been given the official task of watching, guarding if you will, the ice wolf leader Fuyuka. He was still wrapped up in the man-tank's wires and could not move. He could still speak though. "Your friends aren't gonna make it, you know," he sneered. But the three watchmen weren't even listening. They were more concerned about something else.

_(Bankotsu... Is he...?)_

Another flock of ice bats had joined in the fight. A blast from a Toukaibutsu a few moments ago had rendered Sekka's dragon, Gentoumaru, flightless. Kooriookami and Yukikyuu had gathered in mass amounts, despite the fact that their respective masters, Fuyuka and Frostbyte, were disposed of. These ice demon wanted vengeance on their enemies for the death of their masters. They wanted blood.

Yura sent down a wave of hair at the attackers and managed to scoop up a few Toukaibutsu from the ground. She flung them onto the thinning snow that revealed a patch of grass beneath it, rendering the ice monsters useless. However, the Hyoukoumori had a common solution: blast a jet of ice onto the ground. The Toukaibutsu were not able to maneuver on the grass, but with fresh ice as their trail, they could perform a counter attack.

Kouryuu, the little red dragon, poked his head over the side of Manten's storm cloud and watched as a pack of ice wolves ran beneath them. He pulled back onto the cloud and looked up at Souten. "What's gonna happen?" he asked. She didn't know.

Yura and Manten continued to hold back the pursuers as Gentoumaru and his passengers traveled on foot. His wings had been torn up by the previous attack, so this was the best he could do now. Bankotsu turned his head to see the fight behind him. The Yukikyuu had gathered together and formed a sort of hand shape. It swung at the dragon, trying to knock it over. But Bankotsu wouldn't let them. He stood on the dragon's back, holding his arms out for balance. Once he achieved it, he let fly his Banryuusen attack and ripped all the Yukikyuu snowball demons to shreds.

"You're pretty good at this," Sekka sniggered as she blasted a ball of ice at the flock of Hyoukoumori.

"You're not so bad yourself," he answered back with a smirk. They continued holding back the demons as they tried to reach InuYasha and his party.

The room was cold. Of course it was cold, it was _her_ room. The ice queen. The lady of cold. She stared them down, standing at the far end of the room. She had incased herself in a semitransparent ice shield. Both she and the Shikon Jewel were safe from her enemies' attacks. Ice formed on the walls and pillars. On the roof and floor too. They were in her domain now. She had all the upper hands. However, they did have one important factor going for them.

"The cat demon," she whispered out loud, but so low that InuYasha's ears could not hear. "I have to destroy that cat demon." So that was her first priority. She extender her hand out in front of her and powered up an ice blast. She sent it forth.

"Fuck!" InuYasha exclaimed, "Move out of the way!" The five of them leapt out of the path of the blast and it struck the ground, leaving a big crack. "You've got pretty lousy aim, your majesty," he smirked.

"My, my, my," KooriKisaki taunted, "Such big words from such a little dog."

InuYasha's smirk turned into a smile. "I'll show you what this little dog can do." He ran forwards and swung the Tessaiga up over his head. He then swung it down and unleashed the Scar of the Wind. The blast headed towards its target at great speed and made contact. An explosion. Pieces of the floor were sent in all directions, and the carpet tattered and burned. KooriKisaki was unharmed.

"Are you quite done yet?" she taunted again. "And what about your friends over there?" She pointed to Kagura, Juuroumaru and Jakotsu. "Let's us see what they can do..."

Jakotsu smirked. "Fine by me." He whipped the Jakotsutou at her. It was long enough to stretch the length of the entire room, so he knew she would never be out of his range. The tip of the sword struck her ice shield, but was repelled back. "Dammit," he muttered.

"Amateur," Kagura said as she flipped open her fan. She blew an incredible gust of wind at the ice queen, but she didn't even move. "Heh heh," she laughed weakly, "Um, Juuroumaru? Care to give it a shot?"

"None of my attacks would be of any use," he muttered, "Not with that shield anyway."

"We have to break it somehow," InuYasha growled. Then suddenly, a thick fog engulfed the room. No one could see five feet in front of their noses. Except for...

A ball of ice struck Juuroumaru right across the face. He flew and crashed into the wall. "Shit," he muttered as he struggled back to his feet.

"Kagura," InuYasha called out to nowhere, "Can you blow this fog away?" Her response came from within the haze somewhere. She believed she could. More wind came, blowing away the fog. The room was cleared again. But she was gone. "Dammit," InuYasha growled, "Where the fuck is she?"

Cackling filled the room. Suddenly, a great big pillar of ice jutted down from the ceiling and struck just a few feet away from where Kazan was standing. He jumped out of the way and growled, sending a blast of fire at the ice pillar. It melted, but only a little bit. More ice pillars jutted from the ceiling and even the walls. She was trying to skewer them alive. Kagura used her Dance of Blades to cut the ice pillars up, but more were coming. InuYasha and Juuroumaru slashed at them, breaking them apart. But again, more came.

"Where is she hiding?" InuYasha exclaimed. Her scent. He still smelled her scent. He looked up. She was hovering near the ceiling. He smiled and aimed another Scar of the Wind at her. But he stopped. "No, I think the Bakuryuuha would be better..." She blasted a pillar of ice down directly at him. Perfect. The ice was demonic energy, so he could repel it back at her. He unleashed the Bakuryuuha and sent the entire pillar of ice back at her. It hit her and shattered. Ice fragments rained down upon the entire room. The white mist cleared, revealing nothing. But was she really gone? No. Her scent still loomed. But...

"Everyone," he exclaimed, "We've got company!"

Hyoukoumori. Toukaibutsu. Yukikyuu. Kooriookami. KooriKisaki's forces had joined in to help her in the battle. Now things were about to get really ugly...


	53. The Final Fight Pt 2

"We've got company," InuYasha muttered. Ice bats, freezing demons, snowballs and ice wolves. They had managed to slip into the room during the confusion that was made by the ice pillars. So that was her plan then. "Let's take 'em out!" He slashed at a Toukaibutsu with the Tessaiga, ripping it to pieces. A flock of five Hyoukoumori soared through the air, aimed at Kagura, who was floating on one of her giant feathers. She flapped her fan at them, sending a gush of air, throwing them off course. Then she formed the wind into blades and sliced them up. But more came. Back on the ground, Juuroumaru was fighting two Kooriookami. They slashed at him with their claws and bit at him with their teeth. One of them stood up on its hind legs and slashed furiously, but it lost its equilibrium and fell over, giving Juuroumaru the opportunity to strike. Jakotsu and Kazan were busy dealing with a group of Yukikyuu. These cute little snowballs were definitely an interesting sort of demon. They had the ability to form together and fight as one big cluster. They merged into a giant ball and rolled towards their enemy. Jakotsu let fly his sword and slashed right through the ball, sending them all in different directions.

"Keh," InuYasha scoffed, "KooriKisaki, do you really expect these weak demons to stop us?"

No answer.

"Fine then." He slashed at another Toukaibutsu demon, but before he could hit it, it blasted a stream of ice. The Tessaiga got caught in the blast and was frozen solid. "Dammit," he muttered.

Kagura, meanwhile, was still dealing with a flock of Hyoukoumori. But what she didn't realize was that this particular flock was just a decoy. Another flock snuck up behind her and dive-bombed the feather, ripping it to shreds. She plummeted to the ground. Fortunately, she was just a few feet away from her little brother, who managed to subdue the ice wolves long enough to make a saving catch. "Thanks," she said. He gave her a 'don't mention it' smile and both went back to the fight.

"Dammit," InuYasha growled, "Where did she go _this_ time?"

KooriKisaki had once again vanished. But all the ice that the ice demons were creating hindered her scent. She was perfectly hidden.

"Shit," he muttered. "And not only that, but because she's encased the Shikon Jewel in ice, I can't use its powers. The Kongousouha is completely useless. And the Bakuryuuha won't work either. What am I going to do?"

Again, no answers were coming to him. But there had to be some way to beat her. He just needed to think harder. He looked around for a clue. Any clue. Nothing. But he still needed to know her whereabouts anyways, so he dashed around the room, searching. But he could not find her. She must be moving too, he thought. Then it came. The huge blast of ice from point blank range. It hit him, sent him flying across the entire room. He hit the wall and fell to the ground in a slump. He did not move.

"InuYasha!" Jakotsu exclaimed, running over to him. "InuYasha! Speak to me!"

"But all I had was the soup," the dog boy said in a slurred tone of voice, "I don't see why we should split the bill evenly..."

Jakotsu slapped him across the face. "Get a hold of yourself!" he exclaimed.

"Hooba wha?" InuYasha shook the concussion off and rose to his feet. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

"Well," Jakotsu smiled, "Jennifer Tilly was stripping right in front of you, and when she took her top off, the sudden amount of excess energy overpowered you and sent you flying backwards."

"I simple 'I don't know' would have sufficed, ya know," InuYasha said sarcastically. "Where was I when I got hit?"

"How the hell should I know?" Jakotsu exclaimed.

"You should be paying attention!"

"_I_ should be paying attention? _You_ were the one who got hit!"

"They're arguing again," Juuroumaru sweatdropped.

"You'd think they've been married for forty years," Kagura added, batting away an ice bat.

"I heard that," InuYasha snapped. "We can't let this arguing get in our way. We still have a job to do."

"Indeed," Jakotsu agreed. "So I was thinking..." He looked over at Kazan, who was still fighting a group of Kooriookami. "I was thinking, what if we use Kazan's fire on KooriKisaki?"

It hit InuYasha like a ton of bricks. "Of course!" He began explaining his newly formed plan to Jakotsu as Kagura, Juuroumaru and Kazan fought off the ice demons.

"Think it'll work?" Jakotsu asked.

"Only one way to find out," InuYasha responded. "Kagura! Juuroumaru! Cover Jakotsu! We've got a plan to take out the ice bitch!"

Kagura and Juuroumaru smiled and nodded. Jakotsu dashed over to Kazan and helped him take out the final ice wolves. All that was left was a small flock of Hyoukoumori, a few Toukaibutsu and a small pack of Yukikyuu. And the ice queen of course. She revealed herself at last and immediately began her attack on InuYasha. His sword was still frozen, but all he had to do to thaw it was unleash a Scar of the Wind. And he did just that. The Tessaiga had returned to normal. All he had to do now was keep KooriKisaki at bay until...

Jakotsu held out the Jakotsutou to Kazan. Kazan looked at it strangely for a few seconds, but then managed to figure it out. He blasted a steady stream of fire at the tip of the sword. The ice demons were trying to get at them, trying to stop them from putting their plan in motion, but Kagura and Juuroumaru were keeping them at bay. A flick of her wrist and a gust of wind later, the last Hyoukoumori were killed. Toukaibutsu and Yukikyuu were all that remained. But they could take 'em. Oh yes they could.

"Fools!" KooriKisaki cackled, "You cannot beat me! I am indestructible!"

"Funny," InuYasha taunted, swinging the Tessaiga at his enemy, "Every time a bad guy says that, they get the crap kicked outta them!" He unleashed the Scar of the Wind, landing a direct hit, but nothing happened. That damned ice shield...

She laughed. "What was that about getting the crap kicked outta them?" She held her hand out in front of her and powered up another blast. She fired. InuYasha leapt just out of the way as it hit the ground, breaking it. He tried to return the attack, but again she blasted him with an ice attack. He rolled out of the way as it hit the ground. He ducked behind the closest of the six massive pillars to catch his breath. Big mistake. She blasted the pillar, chomping a huge hole in it. Then she aimed her sights a little higher and blasted the top of it. It broke free of the roof and fell to the ground, seeming to bury InuYasha. But he had made it out just in time and sliced another Scar of the Wind. "Give it up!" the ice queen yelled.

"Never!" InuYasha growled. "We're gonna send you to Hell where you belong!"

She cackled. "Really? And how pray tell are you going to do that?"

"Like this." Jakotsu's answer cut through the misty room like a hot knife through butter. The last of the Toukaibutsu and Yukikyuu had bean beaten. She was all that was left. Jakotsu held up his sword; the tip flashed with a red glow. Kazan's fire attacks had heated it up to incredible temperatures. It was almost melting. He flicked his wrist and the sword flew towards her. Struck her like a snake striking its prey. The intense heat penetrated her shield and hit the Shikon Jewel, breaking it free from the ice barrier and from the ice queen.

"Kagura!" InuYasha called, "Clear the mist!" She nodded and sent a gust of wind that cleared the entire room.

"Juuroumaru!" Jakotsu shouted, "Hold the queen!" He nodded and dashed forwards with speed so great he could not be seen. He wrapped his arms around her and held tightly.

With the Shikon Jewel now free of KooriKisaki's ice spell, InuYasha could now summon up the powers of the Kongousouha. Crystal shards appeared around the Tessaiga and the queen. "Fools," she growled, struggling from Juuroumaru's grip, "You cannot win!"

"I think we already have," Juuroumaru hissed.

InuYasha lifted the Tessaiga over his head. "KONGOU..." More and more crystal shards appeared around the Tessaiga. "SOU..." They grew bigger and bigger, and increased more and more in number. He then swung the Tessaiga down over his head and sent them all forth. "HAA!" The shards dashed towards their target.


	54. The Reunion

Disclaimer: Lyrics to "The Last Song" belong to X Japan.

With the Shikon Jewel free of the spell of the ice queen, InuYasha could now summon up the Kongousouha and finally put a stop to her. Crystal shards began to appear around her and his sword, the Tessaiga. He lifted it over his head and yelled, "KONGOU..." More crystal shards appeared around the sword. "SOU..." They began to grow bigger and increase more in number. Then he swung the sword down over his head and sent them all forth towards the queen. "HAA!"

Juuroumaru, being the quickest one there, was perfect for the job of holding onto her so she couldn't get away. He was grasping her tightly, waiting for the moment were he would be able to dodge the oncoming blast and she would not. It came. He leapt out of the way, mere milliseconds before the impact. The shards sliced through KooriKisaki, cutting her up into tiny little fragments. The queen of the ice was gone. The ice that covered the room began to fade, too. So did the ice that covered most of Japan.

InuYasha dropped the Tessaiga on the ground and fell over. The others ran over and knelt down beside him. "She... gone...?" he gasped. The others nodded. "Oh good," he said, closing his eyes. He fell asleep right there on the floor.

"Aww," Jakotsu whispered.

The explosion made them all jump. All except for InuYasha of course, he was out. The far wall had been bashed down and standing there were Sekka and Bankotsu. Yura, Manten and the others were just outside of the fortress. "Where's KooriKisaki?" Sekka asked.

"She's dead," Juuroumaru answered. "Um..." He pointed at her.

"She's on our side," Bankotsu said, looking over at her and smiling. "Where's the Shikon Jewel?" Kagura had it. Midoriko had already explained everything to her. She walked over to Sekka, who had the final two shards, and handed it to her. The shards attached themselves to the jewel, making it complete. Then it floated up into the air. All who were still awake watched it as it reached about half way up to the roof. Then she appeared. Midoriko, the jewel's creator. She smiled as the jewel settled in her hand.

"Thank you all," she said, smiling. "Now that it is whole, I can return to the after world with it so that this will never happen again." And with that, she vanished, jewel and all. It was over. It was finally over.

They returned home and found that nearly everyone had fallen asleep. Myouga, Hamaya, Ginta, Hakkaku and Kyoukotsu had also all conked out. But Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Kageroumaru, Akizuki, Kanna and Kohaku were all still wide-awake, awaiting their friends' return. When they arrived back home, Kagome rushed into InuYasha's arms and kissed him. Kageroumaru leapt up and landed on his brother's shoulder. "Took you long enough," he muttered sarcastically. Kanna ran over to her sister and gave her a big hug. Kikyou and Renkotsu were waiting there too.

"You did really good," she said sweetly to Jakotsu. "Suikotsu'd be proud." She was right. He was. So was Kouga.

_Am I wrong to be hurt? Am I wrong to feel pain? Am I wrong to be in the rain? Am I wrong to wish the night won't end? Am I wrong to cry? But I know, it's not wrong to sing The Last Song, 'cause forever fades._

_When the morning begins, I'll be in the next chapter..._

Sesshoumaru faded out his beautiful piano solo; at least one tear had been shed by everyone in the entire auditorium, including himself. He wrote that song especially for the occasion of defeating the Ice Army and now he had finally gotten a chance to perform it in front of an audience. He smiled as he left the stage. So much had happened since then; since the defeat of the Ice Army. Kikyou had given birth to a healthy baby boy named Kotake. Juuroumaru and Akizuki had been going steady pretty much since they returned from the fight. Bankotsu and Sekka seemed to be getting along quite well, too.And since Yura, Manten, Souten and Kouryuu had no place else to go, they were invited to join in the little clique they had going on. A little something could be seen happening between Souten and Shippou. Everyone was happy. Everything was going good. Everything... was coming to an end.

ChikaraEki: Kagura, Kanna, Kohaku, Hakudoushi and Rin, had become famous thanks to the Battle of the Bands contest and were touring around Japan. They were up there with the big ones like Shiina Nagano, Minami Takayama and that woman who sings the theme song to Dot Hack.

Yogore no Yurikago: Kikyou, Jakotsu, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Hamaya (on drums) and Sekka (on keyboard) had been famous from the get go, because of their CD. But that was from the past, from the old days when the band was actually whole. It had been shattered into pieces, but those pieces were being put back together quite nicely. Quite nicely indeed. No one of course could take Suikotsu's place, but...

OmegaNihon: InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Nobunaga, Juuroumaru and Sesshoumaru. They had just been given a record deal by Mr. Sharp from Sharp Records to start their career.

_(Excellent!)_

Within the last few months, the three bands had barely said a single word to each other. They had almost completely lost touch, but that was to be expected as they were always off touring the country and the world. Finally, the plans of a reunion had been made.

"Well," InuYasha said as he and Kagome strolled up to the Rec. Hall, "Here we are."

"I'm so excited," she smiled, "We haven't seen these people in, what? It's been a few months now, right?"

The dog-boy nodded. They reached the front door, drew in a deep breath, and then went inside.

"Hiiiiiiii, InuYasha!!" Jakotsu came dashing over as soon as he heard the door open.

"Nice to know you haven't change a bit," InuYasha smirked. Pasted across Jakotsu's face was a wide grin.

Everyone else was here: the kids were playing video games in the entertainment area of the building (and guess what? Kohaku had gone back to his awful loosing streak again). Nobunaga and Tsuyu were in the lounge with Bankotsu and Sekka, talking about "good old times." Miroku and Sango were at the bar with Yura and Manten, getting to know each other better. All the others were strewn randomly throughout the building, playing matches or swimming or skating or surfing.

Kikyou, holding her baby in her arms, and Kagura joined them. "Hey, you made it!" Kikyou exclaimed.

"Oh," Kagome smiled, "Is this your son? Kotake?" Kikyou nodded as Kagome stood by her side. They walked away, making baby faces and noises. Kotake was giggling.

"He really is cute," InuYasha smiled.

"Thanks," Jakotsu smiled back.

"You know," Kagura mentioned, a somber look spreading across her face, "This may be the last time we're all together."

"Oh," InuYasha responded zealously, "I don't think so. It'll hafta be something _really_ important to keep us from getting together again." He was right. It was they who had gone into the forest, chasing down Naraku and bringing an end to him. It was they who had gone into the arctic wasteland and had put an end to KooriKisaki. It was they who returned the Shikon Jewel to the other world. Not a heck of a lot could stand between them now. And yet, things really were changing. Maybe it would be the last time they were all together. They all smiled at each other, then walked slowly over to the bar.

Things really were coming to an end...

THE END


End file.
